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Jamie Hoschouer, a food stamp eligibility worker at the Department of Human Services, talks to a client who came in to get help on Monday. Due to the soaring number of people applying for food stamps, the department has set up a system to give people benefits the same day they apply.
More, new, people seek help from Department of Human Services
Although record numbers of people are turning to the Department of Human Services for a helping hand, Jerry Waybrant said more people started showing up at local DHS offices more than two years ago.
“I think we get sick before other people get sniffles,” said Waybrant, manager of the DHS district that encompasses Douglas County, referring to how Central Oregon and Clackamas and Washington counties have seen huge increases in caseloads more recently.
Since the fall of 2006, the number of Douglas County residents getting Temporary Aid to Needy Families, or TANF, formerly called welfare, has shot up 50 percent.
Employees in the local district handle 915 cases, or about 2,300 to 2,700 people. The district has seen a similar trend among those seeking food stamps.
Employees at the district office also are seeing a change in who comes through their door, particularly in the last year.
The number of two-parent households seeking TANF soared 66 percent from February 2008 to February 2009.
Jamie Hoschouer, an eligibility worker, said she’s seen a rising number of people who have been laid off from higher-paying jobs in the last few months. “More typically, we see people in minimum-wage jobs with multiple children at home.”
“The people who walk through our doors, the last thing they want to do is to ask for help,” Waybrant added. “They wait till almost the whole thing is crashing around them.”
Despite their apparent reluctance to come to the Roseburg office, Hoschouer encouraged those in need to consider using the office’s services.
If they qualify for food stamps, they may be eligible for other services, from free and reduced school lunches to help with phone bills to referrals to other social services.
To get an idea of whether they might qualify for food stamps, Hoschouer suggested they visit the department’s Web site and use a tool called the food stamp estimator at http://tinyurl.com/cn5peb.
“I think we get sick before other people get sniffles,” said Waybrant, manager of the DHS district that encompasses Douglas County, referring to how Central Oregon and Clackamas and Washington counties have seen huge increases in caseloads more recently.
Since the fall of 2006, the number of Douglas County residents getting Temporary Aid to Needy Families, or TANF, formerly called welfare, has shot up 50 percent.
Employees in the local district handle 915 cases, or about 2,300 to 2,700 people. The district has seen a similar trend among those seeking food stamps.
Employees at the district office also are seeing a change in who comes through their door, particularly in the last year.
The number of two-parent households seeking TANF soared 66 percent from February 2008 to February 2009.
Jamie Hoschouer, an eligibility worker, said she’s seen a rising number of people who have been laid off from higher-paying jobs in the last few months. “More typically, we see people in minimum-wage jobs with multiple children at home.”
“The people who walk through our doors, the last thing they want to do is to ask for help,” Waybrant added. “They wait till almost the whole thing is crashing around them.”
Despite their apparent reluctance to come to the Roseburg office, Hoschouer encouraged those in need to consider using the office’s services.
If they qualify for food stamps, they may be eligible for other services, from free and reduced school lunches to help with phone bills to referrals to other social services.
To get an idea of whether they might qualify for food stamps, Hoschouer suggested they visit the department’s Web site and use a tool called the food stamp estimator at http://tinyurl.com/cn5peb.
A year ago about 17,600 people — or almost one in six in Douglas County — received food stamps from the state. By last month, that number soared to almost 21,000 people, or about one in five county residents.
“That was an 18.7 percent increase,” said Jerry Waybrant, manager for the Department of Human Services district that encompasses Douglas County.
“Our caseload grew so fast, there was no way to keep up with that,” said Jenny Boyle, the self-sufficiency program manager at the Harvard Avenue district office in Roseburg.
As a result, people who applied for food stamps had to wait seven to 10 days to get an appointment, and to get their benefits.
“When you’re hungry and need food, that just wasn’t working,” Waybrant said.
So early this month, the local DHS office started a program geared to set up clients with an appointment within 30 minutes of when they first turn in their paperwork. And to have them leave the office with their food stamp card in hand.
It seems to be working, based on feedback from client surveys filled out anonymously.
“(It was) the best experience I ever had here,” said one respondent.
“I was surprised to get in so quickly,” said another.
Two-thirds of those who filled out surveys said they got an appointment within an hour. The rest said they were seen within one or two days.
But the change in service did not come without some effort. Dr. Bruce Goldberg, the state director of the Department of Human Services, set out on a mission to transform how the department runs its food stamp program, Waybrant said.
As part of that effort, a consulting firm was hired to study how the food stamp intake process works statewide. Consulting company employees observed the process first-hand at district offices around the state.
Based on that, they made changes to how the process works, altering everything from how eligibility workers fill out forms to how they schedule their time to how they arrange their desks, Waybrant said.
Also, many people in the local office pitched in to help process the backlog of cases that had built up, from managers to case workers who usually handle Temporary Aid to Needy Families, formerly known as welfare.
“Everything else is going on the back burner,” Waybrant said.
Also, the department was able to enlist a volunteer to be a “greeter.” The volunteer greets people as they come in. In three out of four cases, the greeter often just receives paperwork and sends people on their way, Waybrant said. The remaining person will get in line for an appointment.
And the department is in the midst of more changes designed to make the faster intake process a permanent fixture.
The department is in the process of hiring two permanent food stamp eligibility workers, to replace two temporary positions. Advertising for permanent positions tends to improve the applicant pool, Waybrant said.
“We’re pretty excited about getting two additional bodies on board to help,” he added.
The current changes couldn’t have happened, however, without the dedication of the existing staff, Boyle and Waybrant emphasized.
“We’ve had staff (members) ask if they can volunteer,” Waybrant said, “if they could come in to help the families.”
More changes to better serve those seeking food stamps are on the horizon. By the end of the summer or early fall, the department hopes to be accepting applications for food stamps online.
Currently, clients may download forms online, but this would be the first time people could apply via the Internet. And the online system should help walk them through the process, Waybrant said.
“We’re excited (about it),” he said. Applicants in most cases would still need to come in for a face-to-face interview, but the online application should speed up the process.
Already, however, Jamie Hoschouer, an eligibility worker, has seen benefits for those who turn to the department for help.
“You see a huge relief on their faces,” she said, “knowing they can go to the office and right after they leave the office they can get groceries for their family.”
So you know...
The Roseburg Department of Human Services office, 1937 W. Harvard Ave., is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To apply for services, people must submit photo identification, their Social Security number and proof of their income for the last 30 days.
For more information, call 440-3301 or visit the Web site, www.oregon.gov/DHS/.
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
“That was an 18.7 percent increase,” said Jerry Waybrant, manager for the Department of Human Services district that encompasses Douglas County.
“Our caseload grew so fast, there was no way to keep up with that,” said Jenny Boyle, the self-sufficiency program manager at the Harvard Avenue district office in Roseburg.
As a result, people who applied for food stamps had to wait seven to 10 days to get an appointment, and to get their benefits.
“When you’re hungry and need food, that just wasn’t working,” Waybrant said.
So early this month, the local DHS office started a program geared to set up clients with an appointment within 30 minutes of when they first turn in their paperwork. And to have them leave the office with their food stamp card in hand.
It seems to be working, based on feedback from client surveys filled out anonymously.
“(It was) the best experience I ever had here,” said one respondent.
“I was surprised to get in so quickly,” said another.
Two-thirds of those who filled out surveys said they got an appointment within an hour. The rest said they were seen within one or two days.
But the change in service did not come without some effort. Dr. Bruce Goldberg, the state director of the Department of Human Services, set out on a mission to transform how the department runs its food stamp program, Waybrant said.
As part of that effort, a consulting firm was hired to study how the food stamp intake process works statewide. Consulting company employees observed the process first-hand at district offices around the state.
Based on that, they made changes to how the process works, altering everything from how eligibility workers fill out forms to how they schedule their time to how they arrange their desks, Waybrant said.
Also, many people in the local office pitched in to help process the backlog of cases that had built up, from managers to case workers who usually handle Temporary Aid to Needy Families, formerly known as welfare.
“Everything else is going on the back burner,” Waybrant said.
Also, the department was able to enlist a volunteer to be a “greeter.” The volunteer greets people as they come in. In three out of four cases, the greeter often just receives paperwork and sends people on their way, Waybrant said. The remaining person will get in line for an appointment.
And the department is in the midst of more changes designed to make the faster intake process a permanent fixture.
The department is in the process of hiring two permanent food stamp eligibility workers, to replace two temporary positions. Advertising for permanent positions tends to improve the applicant pool, Waybrant said.
“We’re pretty excited about getting two additional bodies on board to help,” he added.
The current changes couldn’t have happened, however, without the dedication of the existing staff, Boyle and Waybrant emphasized.
“We’ve had staff (members) ask if they can volunteer,” Waybrant said, “if they could come in to help the families.”
More changes to better serve those seeking food stamps are on the horizon. By the end of the summer or early fall, the department hopes to be accepting applications for food stamps online.
Currently, clients may download forms online, but this would be the first time people could apply via the Internet. And the online system should help walk them through the process, Waybrant said.
“We’re excited (about it),” he said. Applicants in most cases would still need to come in for a face-to-face interview, but the online application should speed up the process.
Already, however, Jamie Hoschouer, an eligibility worker, has seen benefits for those who turn to the department for help.
“You see a huge relief on their faces,” she said, “knowing they can go to the office and right after they leave the office they can get groceries for their family.”
So you know...
The Roseburg Department of Human Services office, 1937 W. Harvard Ave., is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To apply for services, people must submit photo identification, their Social Security number and proof of their income for the last 30 days.
For more information, call 440-3301 or visit the Web site, www.oregon.gov/DHS/.
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
