For years, Michigan families faced an impossible choice: save for emergencies or keep food on the table.
Under the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) asset limit, households could lose food assistance for having just a few dollars too much in savings—penalizing families for planning ahead.
ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) saw the harm firsthand. Caseworkers reported families losing benefits over small savings, forcing tradeoffs that undermined stability. ACCESS, alongside partners, launched an effort to eliminate the asset limit so families wouldn’t have to choose between security and food.
In 2024, that work paid off: Michigan removed the SNAP asset limit, a major step forward for food security. The victory was driven by ACCESS – a longtime Voices for Healthy Kids grantee – and supported by Voices for Healthy Kids, an American Heart Association initiative.
Centering Families, Not Punishing Them
ACCESS, the nation’s largest Arab American–serving nonprofit, began by meeting the needs of Michigan’s Arab American community but now serves families across southeast Michigan. Decades of frontline work inform its policy agenda, rooted in dignity and access.
“I started on the service side,” said Sara Ismail, ACCESS policy manager. “Caseworkers are trusted, and families share what’s really happening.”
Those conversations revealed a troubling pattern: families losing SNAP for being just $5 or $10 over the limit. Elderly couples, single adults and working families were cut off, not because they didn’t need help, but because they tried to build a nest egg.
The problem worsened in summer. “Parents had to choose between letting kids work summer jobs or keeping food benefits,” Ismail said. Instead of promoting self-sufficiency, the policy trapped families in impossible tradeoffs.
Since the change, ACCESS caseworkers report immediate improvements.
“SNAP is one of the strongest tools to help lift families out of poverty,” Ismail said. “Clients can finally save without fear. Families can prepare for emergencies, like home and car repairs, without risking SNAP. The program now works as intended – helping households stabilize during tough times; stepping stone to a secure future.”
Voices for Healthy Kids Helps Move Policy Forward
Turning lived experience into statewide policy change required resources, strategy and collaboration. Voices for Healthy Kids played a critical role.
“This win shows exactly why Voices for Healthy Kids invests in community-led advocacy,” said Lori Fresina, executive director and vice president of Voices for Healthy Kids . “ACCESS brought lived experience, trusted relationships, and leadership to the table. Voices helped provide the resources and infrastructure needed to turn that expertise into lasting policy change for families across Michigan.”
With Voices funding and technical assistance, ACCESS built a diverse statewide coalition that ensured lawmakers understood the impact of the asset limit on families across Michigan.
“There’s no way we could have done this without Voices for Healthy Kids and the American Heart Association,” Ismail said. “The funding gave us capacity and support, and it made this campaign possible.”
Because of Voices for Healthy Kids, thousands of Michigan families no longer have to choose between saving for tomorrow and eating today.
“When you remove barriers like the asset limit,” Ismail said, “you’re not just changing a rule. You’re changing the trajectory of a family’s life – opening the door to stability, opportunity, and hope.”