Losing Food Stamps: Thousands Of Vulnerable Oregonians At Risk Next Year

By Denis C. Theriault | The Oregonian/OregonLive
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on December 05, 2015 at 5:05 AM, updated December 05, 2015 at 1:33 PM

Thousands of vulnerable Oregonians could lose access to food stamps next year under rule changes meant to reflect the state's improving economy.

Because of rising employment rates, Oregon can no longer waive three-month limits for some 30,000 unemployed people in Multnomah and Washington counties. That shift, effective Jan. 1, affects non-disabled adults 50 or younger who aren't caring for children, working 30 hours a week or earning at least $930 a month.

Many of those recipients are already homeless or on the brink, advocates say. Others have been stuck in part-time jobs that come and go, and pay little. If those recipients use their three months before finding work or signing up for state-sanctioned volunteer programs, they'll have to wait three years before they can reapply for food aid.

"I don't want the help," said Al Miller, a 23-year-old who shares a subsidized apartment in Tigard and whose pet-sitting business falls far short of federal income requirements. She spent months on the street after losing a job in 2011 and struggles with Asperger's syndrome, arthritis pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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