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who haven't been able to work for at least 90
days, due to a mental or physical disability,
with medical and cash assistance.
In December 2010, beneficiaries received
$339 a month in cash assistance, in Janu-
ary 2011 that dropped to $266 and in April
it came down again to $197 -- but now cash
assistance has been eliminated altogether.
Patti Kleist, executive director of senior
advocacy nonprofit Faith in Action in Bel-
fair, described how the changes might affect
one woman that she had met that morning
with a breast cancer diagnosis.
"This woman has been working all her
life and now, until she beats back the cancer,
she is basically out of luck?" Kleist asked.
"She's living in a fifth-wheel in somebody's
backyard."
Under the new legislation, the woman
would be eligible for medical assistance, Ri-
vera said, but not cash assistance.
Those receiving medical assistance could
be eligible for the new Housing and Es-
sential Needs (HEN) assistance program,
which will be contracted through the De-
partment of Commerce -- HEN would help
with utility payments, rent, personal health
and hygiene products and transportation,
but is dependent on available funding and
services.
The new legislation also allows for cash
assistance to essentially continue for those
that are Aged, Blind or Disabled (ABD) or
low-income pregnant women.
That largely leaves out a portion of adults
who are homeless or otherwise defenseless,
Rivera said.
"It's definitely a cut and a reducing that
is creating a lot of stress," she said. "We're
talking about vulnerable people ... Every
single day I am speaking to a lot of individu-
als that feel they are not worth anything to
the state."
In Mason County, a monthly average of
392 people received Disability Lifeline as-
sistance from June 2010 to May 2011, and
30 percent of them were homeless, Rivera
said.
Statewide, the monthly average was
38,131 people for the same time period.
Changes to the TANF program will also
affect a large caseload in Mason County --
a new 60-month time limit went into effect
this month for parents receiving TANF as-
sistance and there are new income require-
ments fbr families who receive "child-only"
TANF cash grants.
Child-only cash grants are usually given
when the parent is ineligible for assistance
because they are not working legally in this
country, Rivera said.
Now, in order to qualify for a child-only
TANF grant, the caregiver's income and
additional income coming into the house-
hold from other relatives or persons living
at the home will count towa~ff the eligi-
bility requirements, if a family of three
makes more than $4,635 a month, or more
than 300 percent of the federal poverty
level, they would be ineligible for assis-
tance.
As for the time limit on the number of J ..... I photobyArlaShephard
months a family can receive regular TANF The Department of Social and Health Family Services has made some
assistance, individuals can apply for a
time-limit extension -- but only if they are changes to its Disability Lifeline and TANF programs that affect more than
dealing with special circumstances, like 1,000 Mason County residents.
disability, family violence or in child wel-
fare cases.
"So, basically, we should tell some of these
women to either get pregnant or suffer do-
mestic violence?" darkly joked Monna Hau-
gen, president of the North Mason Coalition
of Churches and Community, at the North
Mason CAN meeting.
While the changes spell dismal fdtures
ahead for some of Mason County's most vul- Lifeline. "They're also talking about a 10 nating state funding for domestic violence
nerable, unfortunately, the worst may still percent cut across the board." programs, reducing outpatient and detoxi-
be to come, Rivera said. The governor's proposed budget reduc-fication chemical dependency services, cut-
"They are thinking of'terminating the on- tions to social services include cutting Dis- ting TANF grants by 5 percent and much,
tire program," Rivera said, of the Disability ability Lifeline medical assistance, elimi- much more.
Election
Continued from page A-1
(46.94 percent) voted against
it.
In the Port of Allyn Dis-
trict 2 race, Jean Farmer
earned 1,367 votes (55.48
percent) and Barry Fischer
earned 1,060 votes (42.74
percent).
In the Port of Grapeview
District 3 race, Glenn Carl-
son earned 610 votes (62.76
percent) and Bob Allen got
353 votes (36.32 percent).
At the Belfair Water Dis-
trict, Jill Satran-Loudin got
103 votes (54.21 percent)
compared to Jack Kimball
who earned 79 votes (41.58
percent) in the Position 2
race. In the race for Position
3, Linnie Griffin earned 117
votes (56:25 percent) com-
pared to Lynn Stevenson
who earned 87 votes (41.83
percent).
In the Trails End Water
District race for Position 3,
Chris Henderson got 41 votes
(53.95 percent) compared to
James Day who got 32 votes
(42.11 percent).
In Fire District 3, Nancy
Montgomery got 496 votes
(58.91 percent) and Stan
Catron got 335 votes (39.79
percent) in the Position 2
race. In the Position 3 race,
Mike Creighton got 518 votes
(62.79 percent) and Glenn
Hoopman got 296 votes
(35.88 percent).
In the Fire District 6 Po-
sition 1 race, Tim Whitman
earned 455 votes (66.13 per-
cent) and Dave Johnston
earned 231 votes (33.58 per-
cent).
In the Fire District 8 Po-
sition 3 race, Tom Wampold
earned 161 votes (57.3 per-
cent) and Steve Christensen
earned 116 votes (41.28 per-
cent).
In the Fire District 17 Po-
sition 2 race, Bruce Newman
got 131 votes (65.5 percent)
and Kerry Fraser got 68
votes (34 percent).
Lastly, in the Harstene
Pointe Water Commissioner
Position 1 election, John
Diehl got 29 votes (17.79
percent) while there were
134 write-ins, accounting for
82.21 percent.
EARLY
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Deadline
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vember 24
issue will be
Friday, No-
vember 18
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Shelt°r"-Mas°n County Journal -Thursday, November 10, 2011 - Page A-7