After more than 40 years of administering NOEP, Hunger Solutions New York brings its SNAP expertise to a new outreach and application assistance program.
Hunger Solutions New York has been awarded a five-year contract by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (NYSOTDA) to serve as the technical assistance provider for the state’s new Nutrition Navigators program, a network of SNAP navigators based in 49 local and regional organizations who connect eligible New Yorkers to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other nutrition programs. In this role, we will equip navigators with training, policy guidance, and outreach resources to deliver high-quality services across the state.
This award follows Hunger Solutions New York’s more than four-decade tenure as the statewide administrator of the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP), the predecessor of Nutrition Navigators. We served as NYSOTDA’s prime contractor for NOEP from its inception in 1985 through its evolution to the Nutrition Navigators program in 2026, leading a network of as many as 86 SNAP navigators operating in community-based organizations across the state. As the state’s investment in SNAP outreach transitions to a new program, we will build on our successes with NOEP to support SNAP navigators with:
- SNAP policy training and individualized technical assistance.
- A SNAP navigator locator map at FoodHelpNY.org where potentially eligible New Yorkers can find navigator services near them.
- Prescreening tools, including SNAPGuideNY.org and its benefit estimator tool.
- The SNAP Resource Center, where navigators can access outreach resources, technical assistance materials, and other tools.
- A statewide digital advertising campaign that raises awareness of SNAP navigator services and connects potentially eligible New Yorkers to local navigators.
- A statewide needs assessment to inform priority populations, geographies, and messaging for SNAP outreach.
- Outreach resources for other nutrition programs, including WIC, school meals, summer meals, and Summer EBT.
- Statewide partnerships and networks that amplify the reach of local SNAP navigator services.
A skilled statewide network of SNAP navigators is critical as food insecurity rises and changes to SNAP’s eligibility, budgeting, and work reporting rules make it harder for New Yorkers to access and maintain benefits. Navigators help households understand and comply with program requirements. They assess eligibility, assist with applications and recertifications, help with documentation, and resolve barriers that cause delays. They also help ensure that applications submitted to SNAP offices are accurate and complete, reducing the risk of payment errors as the state prepares to pay a portion of SNAP benefits based on its payment error rate starting in October 2027—an unprecedented cut in federal funding that could cost New York as much as $1.2 billion annually.
Hunger Solutions New York also joins the program as a direct service provider, offering in-person and remote SNAP outreach and application assistance in 15 counties, ensuring New York’s navigator network reaches every county in the state. Longtime partners New York Common Pantry and Health and Welfare Council of Long Island join our direct service project, providing navigator services in New York City and on Long Island.
As we move to a new SNAP navigator network, we are proud of NOEP’s accomplishments and deeply grateful to the many partners that made them possible. Over four decades, the NOEP network helped more than 850,000 New Yorkers enroll in SNAP. NOEP’s SNAP navigators were central to this work. Possessing deep knowledge of their communities, they implemented outreach campaigns focused on priority populations, conducted home visits, coordinated services in multiple languages, and resolved barriers that prevented eligible people from accessing benefits—ultimately increasing participation in SNAP and easing food insecurity for households across the state.
New Yorkers can find a SNAP navigator serving their county at FoodHelpNY.org, along with information about WIC, summer meals, and other nutrition programs. More navigators will be added to the site in the coming weeks.
