SALEM -- The number of Oregonians relying on welfare and food stamps rose slightly in January after long-term unemployment benefits ended in December. The increases illustrate the almost immediate impact local families felt after the federal unemployment benefits ran out, pushing families already living on the margins into welfare. "What they are, in almost all the cases we looked at, would be a single mom and she's on (food stamps), and she's getting unemployment," Porter said. "When her unemployment exhausts, she has no income and is eligible for TANF. They're already a client, so they're very quick to respond to losing that income." About 92,500 Oregonians relied on TANF in January, about 2,000 more than than in December. At its peak in February 2013, TANF helped about 99,000 Oregonians. About 796,200 Oregonians -- one in five residents -- relied on food stamps in January, up about 4,000 from December.
www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/04/oreg....html
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