Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Poverty programs get boost
Poverty programs get boostBy Bill Walsh
Times-Democrat Staff Writer
The government annually tweaks and resets food stamp benefits with the onset on the new federal fiscal year on Oct. 1.
As of last Wednesday, food stamp recipients in Fauquier County could look forward to a potential increase in their monthly allocation. Because the amount of potential increase depends on many factors, there is no average figure to report, according to Laura Brown.
How much the monthly stipend will increase depends on a number of factors, the local Virginia Department of Social Services program manager said last week, including changes in family size, income and deductions.
"That is really just a rough estimate," Brown said, citing the newness of the annual program readjustment.
Any increase in benefits is good news for those on the receiving end. However, a Times-Democrat story about food stamps in July pointed out that "advocates claim that, typically, aid recipients (two adults, two children) have been coming up $37 short of being able to sustain a decent diet each month. Every price hike at the grocery store expands the gap."
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) is the other important poverty-fighting program that underwent some adjustment on Oct. 1.
Specifically, the amount of money collected by the state's child-support enforcement unit which goes to support a child-rearing parent has been raised from $50 to $100.
By way of example, Brown cited a family receiving $292 a month in TANF assistance. Prior to Oct. 1, if the support enforcement agency was able to recover child-support payments, up to $50 of that money could go directly to the family, a figure that has now doubled.
Enrollment in both programs is rising, Brown said, "and there is a much higher level of traffic going through" her office.
A number of local families continue to be just over the income levels, making them ineligible for the programs, but the county's social services department has signed up a number of new people as the economy struggles.
As we reported in July, social services officials estimate that nearly 5,000 Fauquier residents are eligible to receive food stamps. That is approximately eight percent of the population.
You must be logged in to post a comment.