NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9
Federal SNAP change could make waves in Umatilla County
By JESSICA POLLARD
STAFF WRITER
Able-bodied adults with-
out dependents who aren’t
working in Umatilla County
could face a restriction on
government food assistance
benefi ts in April.
A new rule, which the
U.S. Department of Agri-
culture described as a
“rule to promote work” in
a press release earlier this
month, targets able-bod-
ied adults ages 18-49 with
no dependents if they aren’t
employed, training or volun-
teering for at least 20 hours
each week and are receiving
assistance from the Supple-
mental Nutrition Assistance
Program.
It’s got Tori Colvard,
a food and nutrition pro-
gram manager at CAPECO,
concerned.
The program receives
donations through the Ore-
gon Food Bank and from
local growers, and distrib-
utes them to food pantries
and meal sites across Uma-
tilla, Morrow, Gilliam and
Wheeler counties.
“It most defi nitely would
put pressure on our area,”
she said. “Having benefi ts
reduced or cut off, that’s
going to mean more people
coming to banks and sites.
We cannot match the power
of the Supplemental Nutri-
tion Assistance Program.”
Colvard noted that SNAP
provides some benefi ts that
a food bank can’t.
“With SNAP you can go
to the store,” she said. “Peo-
ple have the ability to go
and purchase what they can
cook and eat. Folks who are
homeless don’t have a way
to cook beans and rice, and
a lot of staples we provide.”
In 2018, CAPECO’s
point-in-time count logged
more than 500 people fac-
ing homelessness across
Umatilla County, although
it’s uncertain how many of
them would be affected by
the new rule.
The average monthly
allocation of SNAP bene-
fi ts statewide is $191. But
in Umatilla County, that
number is closer to $110
a month. Between Janu-
ary and June of this year, an
average of more than 15,000
people receive SNAP bene-
fi ts each month.
DHS warns that this
change could affect 19,000
Oregonians, but didn’t pro-
vide specifi c data by county.
Each year, the state of
Oregon usually uses waivers
for a majority of its 36 coun-
ties to extend the amount
of time that people in the
single, able-bodied demo-
graphic can utilize food
assistance benefi ts. With-
out a waiver, SNAP eligibil-
ity is limited to three months
every three years.
Time limits in both Uma-
tilla and Morrow counties
were waived for this year,
along with 21 other counties.
But that’s about to
change.
According to the DHS,
only six counties might
receive such a waiver after
the rule goes into effect
HH fi le photo
Oscar Garcia, a driver for the Fresh Alliance program, does inventory inside the CAPECO
warehouse in Pendleton in 2017. A new rule, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture
described as a “rule to promote work” in a press release earlier this month, targets able-bodied
adults ages 18-49 with no dependents if they aren’t employed, training or volunteering for
at least 20 hours each week and are receiving assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program.
in April — Crook, Curry,
Grant, Harney, Wallowa and
Klamath counties.
“However,” said Chris-
tine Stone, a communica-
tions offi cer for the Depart-
ment of Human Services, in
an email, “this is still pend-
ing federal approval and
until a waiver is approved,
we can’t know for certain.”
According to DHS, areas
requesting federal waivers
must have unemployment
rates at least 20% higher
than the national rate but not
less than 6%.
In a press release earlier
this month, the agency stated
that rural areas with limited
transportation for getting to
work or areas with lower
rates of high school diploma
owners are more likely to
fall into such a category.
“Transportation in our
rural communities is such
a huge barrier. People who
are low income might not
be able to get around and to
work,” Colvard said.
Umatilla County Com-
mission Chair George Mur-
dock said he applauded
Kayak Public Transit for
addressing the issue through-
out a lot of the county.
“I do not think the inabil-
ity to get there is a major
cause of people in the coun-
ty’s inability to work,” Mur-
dock said.
For him, a change in
SNAP eligibility is a com-
plex issue.
“I’ve never seen a time
when our food banks have
a surplus,” he said. “Any
actions that put additional
strain on our food banks
could have a negative
impact.”
He also said he has the
greatest empathy for the
elderly and children when
it comes to food insecu-
rity, but that when it comes
to able-bodied adults facing
unemployment, “employers
are begging for workers,”
across the county.
DHS stated the change
could carry an economic
impact on local Oregon
businesses that might accept
SNAP benefi ts.
David Meade, who man-
ages Harvest Foods in Uma-
tilla, said it will be hard to
tell how the new rule might
affect business until it actu-
ally goes into effect in April.
“If there is a reduction in
business, it would be sub-
tle,” he said. “For us, it will
be vague. We’d start to see it
in our numbers in the reports
we get monthly.”
Erica Miller manages the
Gotta Stop Mini Mart on
Highway 395 in Hermiston.
She said that during the fi rst
few days of each month, cus-
tomers ring up high amounts
of electronic benefi ts.
“As the month goes on,
it kind of dwindles,” Miller
said. “It seems like this rule
will affect those who are
unemployed, and it could
affect us too.”
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