OCPP uncovered a stockpile of over 50,000 client-months of exemptions. Pieced together, OCPP estimated that by seeking insufficient jobs waivers in 30 counties, and using the accumulated exemptions in the additional 6 counties in Oregon, the state could eliminate the time limits for ALL food stamp recipients for the foreseeable future. Members testified at hearings of the Governor s special inter-agency board on hunger. Finally, the pressure paid off and the FSA caved in, agreeing to use both the exemptions and to seek the time limit waivers. On May 1, time limits were abolished in the state.
Seasonal workers face annual periods of unemployment when their resources are scarce.
With food stamps limited to three months every three years, seasonal workers could not rely on the program to help them through hard times from year to year. The time limits were also particularly burdensome for other seasonal workers such as cannery and construction workers. A second goal of the collaborative effort has been to win a commitment from the state to eliminate barriers and expand food stamp enrollment, reversing the state s declining caseload. Oregon Action, along with the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations conducted a research and testing campaign to surface the reasons for the decline. In April of 2000, Oregon Action and the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations released the results of their research in a report called Hunger Pangs, which outlined practices and policies that delay or impede applicants from obtaining food stamps in Oregon.