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Show New household definition 'ftATfeY collect sism r Mr. Hatch also said he got an extra serw food stamp office. "Students have t k investigator come. What do thev ri i H staff of house callers?" he asked "ea The procedures are harassment in i view. "If I could afford it I'd tell tk Mr he said. te"thenitogetk The Dec. 1 ruling has excluded ma stamps before then. Scott Richins saidh stamps for November and Decembe I "couldn't get them for January He 1 the stamps with his roommate and thirls "isn't fair at all." He said he does vvor !r to get by on that. workN Most of those turned down for the st ' the people at Family Services wJlT 1 I ! . I i -.. I i I !' i 'v : " " I ; p" - -- . ! 5 ' ' ' ; r . " "- i 1 ! : : ; I j i : f ... r - i r zz t - I r " - f ! 1 r T You're a student, low on funds and sharing an apartment with friends to cut expenses. A part-time job helps, but with the slow economy minimum wages don't go far. So you decide to apply for food stamps. People at Family Services down on 2 1st South try to be helpful You complete two bright orange applications ap-plications with information about income and assets and you're assigned a caseworker. They re convince you're "eligible" financially for the subsidy. But you can't get food stamps. Because Dec. 7 7977, a Congressional ruling was implemented which states: . "Household (food stamps are issued to a household house-hold means a group of persons. . .living as one economic unit sharing common cooking facilities and for whom food is customarily purchased in common: Provided, That: When all persons in the group are under 60 years of age, they are all related to each other. Beth Young is a student at the University who recently applied for food stamps. She filled out the forms and waited an hour and a half for an interview; in-terview; but because she is not living alone, her application was turned down. "This ruling was definitely made to go against college kids," said Miss Young. "It's a movement against young persons. I'm not exactly what you'd call a radical. It's a prejudice law." She works, but said her wages "don't make up for food, tuition and buying books." Bill Komlos carries 25 hours, has a job and is eligible financially for the stamps. Family Services was all set to issue them to him until the agency found out he lives with his girl friend. "We've got to eat too, dammit," he said. "Can they do this just because I'm living with a girl I love? If Nixon can decide that, he's not getting my vote. It's discrimination." Dave Durrant and Dave Kilmer share an apartment to cut down on rent. Mr. Durrant goes to school and his roommate lost his job. Applying separately, they were both eligible for food stamps. "It beats the hell out of me why we couldn't get the stamps," said Mr. Kilmer. "The federal government doesn't want to consider students as working. It's a rip off." - They applied ofr a fair hearing, to which all applicants ap-plicants are entitled, but know they won't get the stamps because of the Dec. 1 ruling. Dick Fowler, who conducts the fair hearings, agreed no hearing could give the stamps to persons who live together and are not related. "The intent of Congress was to try to stop com- "This ruling was definitely made to go against college kids. It's a movement against young persons." munal living," said Mr. Fowler. "We're not particularly par-ticularly happy about it, but there's nothing we can do." He said about three or four parties a month have requested hearings, and he expects the issue will finally go to court. Chick Hatch has a slightly different problem. He was "bounced off the food stamp rolls" because he used his father's gas credit card. Mr. Hatch assured Family Services he wouldn't use the credit card and got his father to talk to them. "But we can't get stamps at least until Monday and we're starving," he said. understanding, but powerless to diaif I situation. Thelma Whipple, who reviews cases for elif said she hopes students don't blame tfiem. they are eligible in some instances," she; j it's a case of all the people suffering becau 1 misused the stamps." l The caseworkers emphasized "food starje I not set up to help put people through seta purpose is to improve nutrition." New regulations of the stamps will bet . fective in April but will not affect eligifc increase the number of stamps received w f amount of money. Susan Strickland, who is also with Familv Se !fAT said if it is any consolation, she talked loin in California and the situation there is I are more people applying and more fHV turned down, she said. |
