More families seek food stamps

By Adam Wilson | The Olympian • Published January 19, 2009

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Applications for food stamps, often the first stop for families falling into the government's safety net, rose 42 percent in November statewide.

The increase is no surprise to those who help low-income people; demand for all sorts of services has been steadily increasing. But it is slowing down the state's ability to process requests.

'Safety net'

"The worsening economic conditions have forced many families to come in and apply for safety-net services, primarily cash, Medicaid, food assistance," Leo Ribas, director of the Division Community Services, recently told lawmakers.

In November, 42,000 people applied for food stamps — also called the Basic Food program. The number in November of 2007 was 32,000, according to the division, part of the Department of Social and Health Services.

The maximum a family could make and receive Basic Food was raised in October to twice the federal poverty level of $17,600 a year for a family of three, making more people eligible, Ribas said.

Applications for cash grant programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, also have increased, by 15 percent.

Choice Regional Health Network in Olympia has seen applications for food stamps double since October, executive director Kristen West said.

The network particularly helps people near the federal poverty level. It has been assisting about 35 people a month apply for Basic Food and helping about 300 people a month find health care, she said.

"It's sort of like people's life circumstances are getting so desperate, they're needing to access all of those services," West said.

Some don't qualify

At the same time, an increasing number of people asking for help don't qualify for any government program because they are too young, own a home or were recently employed, West added.

Thurston County Food Bank director Robert Coit said another trend is treating food stamps as the equivalent of cash by applying for them to free up money for things that aren't covered by government programs.

"If the car breaks and you need to stay employed, you've got to get that repair money somewhere," Coit said. Receiving $300 in Basic Food money could free up $300 in a person's budget to pay the mechanic, he said.

"That's what's happening with working families. That's why we're seeing more of them," he said. "They're not coming here because they are hungry. They are coming here because they don't have enough money for 'X'. "

In addition to the increase in requests for food assistance, the number of people using the Basic Food program has increased to 642,600 in November, 95,705 more than the same month a year ago.

The money for food given to families — up to $463 a month for a family of three — is federal tax money, so more people on the rolls does not necessarily affect the state's budget, which has a $5.7 billion shortfall over two years.

But the state does share half of the cost of processing applications, including the salaries for workers. And the division that handles Basic Food is being asked to cut the equivalent of 216 full-time positions from its work force to help make up for a worsening shortfall in the state budget.

As a result, the usual time it takes to approve a request for food stamps has increased from eight days to 14, Ribas said.

"Clearly, we are beginning to see impacts in the amount of time it takes to serve families," he said.

Adam Wilson can be reached at 360-753-1688 or awilson@theolympian.com.