Street roots., May 27, 2011, Page 5, Image 5

Street roots
5
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May 27, 2011
Hope still afloat in Salem for TANF families
BY ISRAEL BAYER
The most recent news out of Salem is
bittersweet The latest revenue forecast
or months, state lawmakers have
earlier this month added about $100 million
been mulling over drastic budget cuts
for the human service budget
to the Temporary Assistance for
“In recognition of the program’s impact
Needy Families, or TANF, program that on Oregon’s families, the proposed
would not only cut the program by about 50
18-month time limit cut was put at the top
percent in revenue, it would also create the
of the list for “add backs” by the Human
shortest time limit for assistance in the
Services Subcommittee of Ways and
nation.
Means,” says State Representative Tina
TANF specifically serves families with
Kotek. “Nothing is final until the budget is
children with incomes below the federal
passed, but Ways and Means members have
poverty level. The maximum a family can
understood that this cut will have
receive is $506 a month for a family with
catastrophic impacts to families.
four or more children, with a lifetime
Kotek said she was confident the state
eligibility limit set at 60 months, in line with will not resort to the 18-month limit.
federal policy.
“We have worked to restore the 18-month
The reduction under Gov. John
time limit, but there are other cuts still
Kitzhaber’s original budget plan would
being made to the TANF program,” Kotek
reduce support to 18 months, the shortest
said. “Job Opportunity and Basic Skills
in any state in the country.
(JOBS) services for TANF clients are being
STAFF W RITER
F
cut by $60 million, eliminating opportunities
for people who face significant barriers to
entering the workforce.”
JOBS helps clients gain skills through
education, training, work experience and
networking with other parents who are
facing the same challenges.
“The elimination of these services will
remove concrete services like skill
development, work experience
opportunities, and GED classes, as well as
increasing isolation among parents who lack
community supports,” says Kotek.
Nearly 20 percent of Oregon’s children
live in poverty. Oregon’s TANF program
currently provides cash assistance to 30,108
families (including 54,000 children) 8,353 of
whom live in Multnomah County. Without
the state benefits, these families are
expected to more heavily rely on already
stressed county programs.
Down at the
food bank
by Anonymous
Down at the food bank
I spotted her.
The line shuffled along
For macaroni and cheese
Or bread the bakery
Couldn’t sell on time.
She was sitting on the
Fill-out-these-forms bench
As I stood there with
A can of pears in my hand.
When I hesitated at the
Boxes of dried milk,
She smiled at me like a little girl
With long gray hair.
New Seattle law highlights crimes against homeless
BY CYDNEY GILLIS
representative for North Seattle at the time,
used to see Ballenger, a Vietnam veteran,
avid Ballenger lived under a freeway
walking the streets of North Seattle. He
overpass. For that reason alone,
wrote an op-ed in this newspaper decrying
three young men kicked, beat and
the violence and pledging to do something .
stabbed him to death near Green Lake in about i t
August 1999.
Finally, White can say he has.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer quoted one of
On April 15, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed
the men saying there’s “one less bum on
legislation White authored that allows for
the face of the earth.”
increased penalties on those convicted of
The murder of Ballenger was one of more committing a crime against a homeless*
than 60 attacks on homeless people
person.
nationwide. By 2009, the annual number of
In cases of second-degree assault, for
attacks had nearly doubled, to 106, and
example, judges can increase the sentence
there were more than twice as many
from seven years to 10. The law takes effect
murders, 27, according to a 2009 report
Aug. 15.
from the National Coalition for the _ ...
A homeless hate Crimea bill in Oregonj
Homeless.
died in th e com m ittee p ro cess th is sessio n .
Ballenger’s three killers — Michael
In Oregon, 10 people experiencing
homelessness were killed because they were Caffee, Shelton Musgrave and Jay Stewart —
went to prison in 2000. Caffee spent six
homeless, and 27 were injured between
years in prison and one year on parole on a
1999 and 2009.
manslaughter charge, according to the
Scott White, who was a state
REAL C H A N G E NEW S
D
coffee bean
I N T E R N A T T O N A Le
W
e tip our mugs to Coffee Bean International for donating coffee to Street
Roots and keeping our vendors warm in the morning!
Street Books, A bicycle-powered mobile library,
coming to a street Near You!
--------------------- —
. g jreej gpo^s is a
bicycle-powered mobile library,
serving people who live
outdoors.
Library Location & Hours:
Wednesdays, 10-2
Skidmore Fountain.
Saturdays, 10-2, Park
B,ocks @
Salmon.
Street Books will use an old-school card catalogue system, checking out and accepting
returned books twice weekly through the summer. You do not need an address to be able
to check out books. The website streetbooks.org will feature photosjof patronswtowish to
be featured with their book of choice, on-line book reviews submitted by patrons and
imdates about Street Books news and library hours. At the end of the summer, Street
Books wih host a reception, inviting patrons to come talk about their favorite books, and
share their experiences with the project.
To find out more about the project, or to donate paperbacks,
contact Laura Moulton: laura@ldeacog.net
Department of Corrections. Musgrave
served nine years for murder and is
expected to finish his parole in June.
Stewart is still serving a 17-year sentence.
Joe Ingram, a homeless advocate who
testified for the bill and once lived on the
street, said White’s law will make a
difference.
“You sit down with people that are
homeless and they talk about getting beat
up and sexual violence, and the response
from police is always less than enthusiastic,”
Ingram said. “What this (law) does is makes
them feel more empowered.”
What the law doesn’t do, however, is
compel police to investigate alleged attacks
on homeless people.
T h e Seattle City Council am ended its own
municipal hate crimes ordinance in 2007,
adding the homeless as a category. Since
2008, when the change took effect, the city
attorney’s office has charged three people
under the law, none of them for a crime
committed on a homeless person.
Even if every officer did investigate
crimes reported by the homeless, they’d
never catch up because there are too many,
Shirey said.
Real Change vendor Mona Joyner said the
law won’t bring back her fiancé, José Lucio.
In 1999, a group of men pushed him off a
freeway overpass in downtown Seattle. The
state patrol did little to investigate and
never answered her calls or letters, she said.
White, the bill’s author, said it’s up to
local police and prosecutors to use the law.
He said if they don’t, he’ll look at adding the
homeless to the state’s hate crimes statute,
something he tried in an earlier bill in 2010
and lawmakers shot down.
“Yeah, it’s a sym bol — and it will h e l p , ”
White said. “But do we have a lot more work
to do? You bet we do, absolutely.”
Originally published by Real Changes News,
Seattle, Wash.
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