» w < * V * * P a g e 6, Portland Observer, July 20, 1988 Oregon Jurisdiction, OES Elects New Officers F or Y o u r In fo rm a tio n couples who are not elderly or ajor gaps exist lh the 50 disabled cannot qualify for any states and the District of cash assistance from any level of Columbia’ in the safety nets of government, unless they are government programs that pro­ M. Simmons is GWM. Mrs. Child$ by Margaret J. Isaacs, PGWM among the minority of the jobless vide cash, medical and other as- also attended the Heroines of Jer­ OES Reporter who receive unem ploym ent sistance«to the poor,.according to ich o of W a shington Stdte, insurance. a new series of reports issued by he Order of the Eastern Star, Fashion Sfiow and Breakfast. Ac- • Property taxes com prise the Center on Budget,and Policy « Oregon and Its Jurisdiction, companing thq newly elected nearly $3 of every $4 of local taxes grand worthy matron of Oregon’ Priorities. held it’s annual Communication and usually constitute the heavi­ While the Center found that the jurisdiction were severahofficers, n Boise, Idaho with members at­ est burden on poor families of any 51 safety nets it examined varied tending from the states of Mon­ associate matrons, three (3) pa^t federal, state or local tax. (Both widely in the quality of protection tana, Idaho and Oregon. Newly grand matron and ,the newly homeowners and renters pay pro­ elected officers from Oregon are: elected grand worthy patron or ' they afforded the poor, a number perty taxes. Landlords generally of major “ holes” appeared repeat­ Mrs. Jo Ann Childs, grand worthy Oregon, Brother Roy L. Callier. All pass along most or all of their pro­ edly. Focusing on the effects of matron; Mrs. Frances R. Johns, attended Church Services in perty taxes to renters in rental policy decisions made at the Olympia, Wash. July 9,1988. charges.) Some 31 states have state level, particularly in the Community Services envolving circuitbreaker” programs that ateas of benefit programs and tax youth, donations of fobd, clothing ease the property tax burden, but policies as they existed in 1987, to the poor and a positive image most of these are limited to elder­ the studies found- against drugs and gangs are a ly and disabled people. Only 10 • In 32 stab s • i»irnum part of the progressive program states have circuitbreakers that benefits from A 11 F dies with being established by GWM Childs provide tax relief to low-income Dependent Gin Iren i A ^D C ). the for Oregon Jurisdiction for the families and individuals who are nation's primary cast) assistance ensuing year. not elderly or disabled. program for poor families with • In every state, there are more children, are below half the pover­ low-income renters than afford­ ty line for a family of three with no able rental housing units. In 16 other income. states, the number of very low- • In 21 states, for all members income renters is more than twice of a three-person family to be eli­ the number of affordable units. gible for Medicaid, the family Nationwide, there are 3.9 million must have an income below half more very low-income renters the poverty line. In only one state than units they can afford. is the Medicaid income eligibility The Center on Budget and Poli­ lim it set at or above the poverty Mrs. Jo Ann C hilds, cy Priorities, located in Washing­ line. Grand W orthy Matron ton, D.C., is an independent, non­ • In 26 states, fewer than one profit research organization that grand associate matron; Mrs. in three unemployed workers re­ studies the impact of state and Gloria D. Brown, grand associate ceived unemployment insurance federal programs and policies on conductress; Mrs. Vethel M. Hall, in an average month in 1986. In 17 low income Americans. grand treasurer; Mrs. E. Jean Mrs. Nancy Pow ell, past m atron, of of these states, there is no AFDC Dillard, grand chairman of the ex­ E nterprise C hap ter No. 1, O rder of program for poor two-parent fami­ ecutive board of directors; Mrs. th e E astern Star, Portland, O regon, lies in which the primary earner is Esther Douglas, grand assistant w as crow ned “ M iss O.E.S. Q u e e n ” unemployed. In 24 of these secretary. Mrs. Mary Ghee of at th e 27th A nnual G rand Session states, there is not state general Montana retained her position as in Boise, Idaho. N ine princesses cash assistance program cover­ vied for the honor of bein g queen grand lecturer. ing poor single individuals and Elected from the State of Idaho: for th e O.E.S. Jurisdiction of Idaho, childless couples who are neither Mrs. Barbara Callier, grand secre­ Montana & O regon. O ver $4 ,0 0 0 in elderly nor disabled. As a result, tary; Mr. Roy Callier, grand worthy charitable donations w e re m ade by for unemployed two-parent fami­ patron; Mr. Levi Belton, grand E nterprise C hap ter m em bers, com ­ lies and their children who do not m unity sponsors and friends in qualify for or have exhausted associate patron. unemployment benefits, as well Among GWM Jo Ann Child’s support of Mrs. P o w e ll’ s cam paign as for jobless single individuals official acts was attending the 75 for O.E.S. Q u een . A year of peace, and childless couples in this sit­ Annual Communication of P. H. happiness and love is w ished for uation who are not elderly or dis­ Grand Chapter, OES, Washington this m ost deserving and lovely PORTLAND OBSERVER abled, little or no safety net exists jurisdiction of which Mrs. Susie O.E.S. Q ueen. "The Eyes'and Ears of the Com m unity" in many states. These people are 2 8 8 -0 0 3 3 ineligible for virtually any cash as­ sistance, regardless of how poor Once a refugee from the cruel­ they may be. Many are ineligible Evangelistic Enterprise, (of which ties of (di Amin, and now an evan­ for health coverage as well. the late Bishop Festo Kivengere gelist and international confer­ • 28 states impose state in­ was a co-founder). Stephen was ence speaker, Stephen Mung’ o ma come taxes on working families featured as a Plenary Speaker at w ill address the Maranatha living below the poverty line and “ Amsterdam ’86’’, the Billy Gra­ Church on Sunday, July 24th at 10 tax the incomes of families ham International Conference for below half the poverty line. 10:30 a.m. Itinerant Evangelists. Stephen Mung’oma had al­ • In half the states, the max­ ready established six congrega­ imum AFDC benefit for a family of Stephen Mung’oma holds grad­ four without other income declin­ tions in six Uganda towns before uate degrees from Makerere Uni­ ed by more than 31.4 percent from forced to flee for his life in 1977. versity, Uganda, and Fuller Theo­ 1970 to 1987, after adjusting for While in exile in Kenya, he worked logical Seminary, where he is as an associate pastor of a 2,000 inflation. In 12 states, it fell by presently a doctoral candidate. more than 40 percent and in six member church while involved in He and his wife Rachael have evangelism all over the country. states, by more than half. seven children. His m inistry The study’s National Overview Since 1980, he has been working emphasizes youth evangelism, with city-wide evangelistic mis­ also reports that the effec­ church growth, and mission sions in Africa under the Africarr tiveness of government benefit involvement of churches. programs in removing families from poverty has declined mark­ edly in recent years to the point where only about one of every nine families with children who would otherwise be poor is lifted out of poverty by government as­ sistance programs. The report at­ tributes a substantial part of this "Since 1952" decrease in the anti-poverty im­ pact of the programs to cutbacks 3 Y e a rs - W r itin g A B C ’s in state programs and decreased program funding at the federal level. M T Stephen Mung’oma To Speak At Maranatha / * . Í ■)« í$? A*"’- ¡ A í* .' i*.« 5 Year Olds - Reading First Grade Books ItfiS $ , Memorial Center — Day Care A »• If you think the cost of buying a home is out of your reach, then you should read) for the phone and call a member of The Home Team. That's your local real estate agent, and he or she can show you a great selection of value-priced III D homes throughout Oregon and S.W Washington. In fact. I l l I) has an affordable home available righi now in the area you waul to live. For a preview of currently available H t’l) properties, check out listings ad in the real estate classified section of your Friday or Sunday Oregonian. Then call any real estate agent. We want you t<> come home a winner. I II I) and your real estate agent . We’re The Home Team." e titi) DEPAFirMENT OF HOUSING ANO URBAN DEVELOPMENT »4 » » M M M ' ■ I ï T b ir • . . ..I "Latch K ey Program ’ Safety Net Holes The Center’s examination of each state safety net also reveals the following gaps: • 24 states fail to supplement federal Supplemental Security In­ come payments to elderly and disabled people living in poverty. The basic federal grants equal on­ ly 75 percent and 89 percent of the respective poverty lines for an elderly individual and an elderly couple. In all but four of the states that do provide SSI supplements, the supplements do not bring SSI benefits for elderly people living alone up to the poverty line. • Only eight states have state programs that provide general cash assistance to single indivi­ duals and childless couples who are not elderly or disabled. In all other states, state general assist­ ance programs are either limited to the elderly and disabled or to not exist. Sixteen states do have county-based general assistance programs, but these programs are often quite limited irt scope. As a result, substantial numbers of pbor individuals and childless