Food stamp funding no free lunch
http://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/articlelive/articles/37582/1/Food-stamp-funding-no-free-lunch/Page1.html
Deborah M. Todd
Courier Staff Writer
By Deborah M. Todd
Published on 04/19/2007
As legislators around the nation continued to debate the federal budget’s funding of the Iraq War, a few tried to bring attention to funding programs a little closer to home Thursday.
Food stamp funding no free lunch
As legislators around the nation continued to debate the federal budget’s funding of the Iraq War, a few tried to bring attention to funding programs a little closer to home Thursday.
“It’s incredible to hear that roughly one in 10 U.S. households are still food insecure today,” said congressman Mike Doyle to the more than 50 attendees of Just Harvest Welfare Justice Projects’ Food Stamp Hearing April 12. “We live in the most productive, most affluent country in the world, yet ours is the only industrialized nation that still has citizens facing the threat of hunger. I think that’s a national disgrace.”
The hearing brought more than 50 concerned citizens and lawmakers together to discuss the implications of the upcoming Farm Bill, which provides legal authority over the operation of the Food Stamp, Emergency Food Assistance, Commodity Supplemental Food, and the Farmers Market Nutrition programs, as well as a number of other projects totaling roughly $40 billion.
Guests were encouraged to voice any and all concerns they had with hunger programs in light of the fact that the Farm Bill is reauthorized only every five years.
“We only get one bite of the apple, so to speak, every five years, so anti-hunger advocates need to be on the ball this year or we’ll have to wait another five years or so,” said Doyle. “Millions of Americans will suffer if we fail.”
The hearing aimed to show just how broad a spectrum of people would be affected by changes in the Farm Bill with testimonies from single parents, social security recipients and retirees who would like to see changes in eligibility requirements and asset limits within the Food Stamp program.
“My problem with the Food Stamp program is every January (with) Social Security there’s a Cost of Living Allowance. Our monthly check increases by a certain number of dollars,” explained guest speaker John Becker. “This is to bring us back into the same position we were at the previous January. I also live in subsidized housing. Every January, when I get my COLA, the housing authority raises my rent. Also, the VA decreases the amount of money I get in Food Stamps. So now, I’m further behind than I was the previous January and I have to make cuts somewhere in my budget.”
“According to the guidelines for the Department of Public Welfare, my pension fund is considered an asset, but as of today, I still don’t have access to the funds,” said Monica Kriegisch, a single mother of two who was denied any public assistance because of her pension, in spite of the fact that she had no income and was forced to move into HART, a transitional living facility for homeless women with children. “Over the past four months, I’ve been trying to make do with no income for me and my two kids.”
Guest speakers and audience members were also encouraged to take their concerns directly to Janice Gladden, executive director of the Allegheny County CAO Department of Public Welfare, who also attended the hearing.
As many attendees complained that a lack of access to caseworkers was their biggest problem with the Department, Gladden pointed out that caseworker’s voicemail systems now hold only nine messages when caseworkers have an average of “more than 800” clients each.
While Gladden also highlighted a new call change center that allows clients to report changes without speaking to their caseworkers, it was apparent that the Department’s staff is stretched well beyond their capacity to expediently address client’s needs.
The need for additional caseworkers is only one of many issues—including increasing minimum monthly subsidies to $25 from $10 per month and increasing average benefits from $1 per meal-organizers at Just Harvest hoped the hearing would address.
As they sent guests away, armed with new information, statistics and contact information for their legislators, Doyle reminded them to remain vigilant in the struggle, because it was only just beginning.
“Don’t let anyone kid you—there’s going to be a real struggle over funding for the food stamp program this year, so supporters of the program have to be prepared and we have to be active,” said Doyle.
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| $1 MENU—Guest speaker Ashley Gatewood holds up a plate that shows how much food the average food stamp benefit of $1 per meal buys. |
“It’s incredible to hear that roughly one in 10 U.S. households are still food insecure today,” said congressman Mike Doyle to the more than 50 attendees of Just Harvest Welfare Justice Projects’ Food Stamp Hearing April 12. “We live in the most productive, most affluent country in the world, yet ours is the only industrialized nation that still has citizens facing the threat of hunger. I think that’s a national disgrace.”
The hearing brought more than 50 concerned citizens and lawmakers together to discuss the implications of the upcoming Farm Bill, which provides legal authority over the operation of the Food Stamp, Emergency Food Assistance, Commodity Supplemental Food, and the Farmers Market Nutrition programs, as well as a number of other projects totaling roughly $40 billion.
Guests were encouraged to voice any and all concerns they had with hunger programs in light of the fact that the Farm Bill is reauthorized only every five years.
“We only get one bite of the apple, so to speak, every five years, so anti-hunger advocates need to be on the ball this year or we’ll have to wait another five years or so,” said Doyle. “Millions of Americans will suffer if we fail.”
The hearing aimed to show just how broad a spectrum of people would be affected by changes in the Farm Bill with testimonies from single parents, social security recipients and retirees who would like to see changes in eligibility requirements and asset limits within the Food Stamp program.
“My problem with the Food Stamp program is every January (with) Social Security there’s a Cost of Living Allowance. Our monthly check increases by a certain number of dollars,” explained guest speaker John Becker. “This is to bring us back into the same position we were at the previous January. I also live in subsidized housing. Every January, when I get my COLA, the housing authority raises my rent. Also, the VA decreases the amount of money I get in Food Stamps. So now, I’m further behind than I was the previous January and I have to make cuts somewhere in my budget.”
“According to the guidelines for the Department of Public Welfare, my pension fund is considered an asset, but as of today, I still don’t have access to the funds,” said Monica Kriegisch, a single mother of two who was denied any public assistance because of her pension, in spite of the fact that she had no income and was forced to move into HART, a transitional living facility for homeless women with children. “Over the past four months, I’ve been trying to make do with no income for me and my two kids.”
Guest speakers and audience members were also encouraged to take their concerns directly to Janice Gladden, executive director of the Allegheny County CAO Department of Public Welfare, who also attended the hearing.
As many attendees complained that a lack of access to caseworkers was their biggest problem with the Department, Gladden pointed out that caseworker’s voicemail systems now hold only nine messages when caseworkers have an average of “more than 800” clients each.
While Gladden also highlighted a new call change center that allows clients to report changes without speaking to their caseworkers, it was apparent that the Department’s staff is stretched well beyond their capacity to expediently address client’s needs.
The need for additional caseworkers is only one of many issues—including increasing minimum monthly subsidies to $25 from $10 per month and increasing average benefits from $1 per meal-organizers at Just Harvest hoped the hearing would address.
As they sent guests away, armed with new information, statistics and contact information for their legislators, Doyle reminded them to remain vigilant in the struggle, because it was only just beginning.
“Don’t let anyone kid you—there’s going to be a real struggle over funding for the food stamp program this year, so supporters of the program have to be prepared and we have to be active,” said Doyle.