Food stamp demand jumps in June

One trend: More two-parent households seek temporary cash assistance

Pamplin Media Group, Jul 22, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Demand for food stamps and temporary cash assistance in Oregon jumped 28 percent from a year ago, state officials said Wednesday.

About 615,000 Oregonians turned in June to food stamps (now called the “Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program”) for help during the sagging economy, an increase of 28 percent from June 2008. That means one in every six Oregonians uses food stamps today, the state Department of Human Services reported.

At the same time, use of cash assistance, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, increased 26.5 percent from a year ago, the agency reported. In June, 24,982 families with children received the cash assistance.

In fact, the number of two-parent households using the cash assistance jumped 107 percent from June 2008, state officials reported. A family of four in Oregon earning less than $795 a month (43 percent of the federal poverty level) qualifies for the assistance. Those families could get up to $647 each month in help.

“The cash assistance is not a lot, but it can make a big difference to a family on the edge,” said Xochitl Esparza, Department of Human Services’ program manager for TANF. “Coupled with assistance focused on job skills training and job searching, and other community services, families can get back on track.”

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