BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — In Louisiana, more than 800,000 single-parent households struggle to make ends meet, according to United Way.

Executive Director of Louisiana Budget Project Jan Moller said any extra money the federal government furnished during the pandemic for SNAP benefits is to end in March.

“We have been working for years to establish a minimum wage above the federal minimum so that people can get paid a little better and have access to health care and affordable childcare. You can do those things to lift families, particularly single moms,” said Moller.

He said the average household on food assistance would receive $164 less than they received during the pandemic.

“At St. Vincent De Paul, we are kind of like a triage. People come to us for everything, like a hot meal, needing dentistry, to prescription medicine, you name it,” said President of St. Vincent De Paul Michael Acaldo.

One mother who did not want to go on camera said the living conditions and the help of her family had been overlooked. Now she is seeking other resources for her children because her time at St. Vincent De Paul’s shelter is ending.