Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
November 10, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
PAGE 7     (7 of 22 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 7     (7 of 22 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
November 10, 2011
 
Newspaper Archive of Shelton Mason County Journal produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




Cuts Continued from page A-1 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 DEADLINE Deadline for the No- vember 24 issue will be Friday, No- vember 18 " weeks for $i17?e ' That's a wheel great deal!" ]If Shelton-Mason County ]~ Call 426-4412 to subscribe today! Out of County $51/yr, Out of State $61/yr. Regularly Regularly Wishing You 50 More Love from -- Bob, Beth, Barry, & Bonny Shelt°r"-Mas°n County Journal -Thursday, November 10, 2011 - Page A-7