The League of Women Voters of Moscow advocated for a single point of access for information on housing, food instability, medical care, transportation and child care at the eighth Poverty on the Palouse forum Wednesday.
The League of Women Voters conducted a five-part poverty study on these topics starting in 2011 and concluding at the end of 2012.
“We’ve learned that there is poverty here,” said Jennifer O’Laughlin, former president of the League of Women Voters of Moscow.
Highlights from the 51-page report were presented at the forum, including statistics on how poverty affects Moscow residents.
For instance, 56 percent of Moscow renters are unable to afford the $612 per month fair market rent of a two-bedroom apartment.
Coming in 2013 to Moscow, the Family Promise program is a faith-based, national non-profit organization that offers food and a place to stay to homeless families while they find more permanent homes.
Bruce Pitman, board president for Family Promise, said more than 20 congregations are already involved in establishing Family Promise on the Palouse. Once the group has found a location, they will hire a director and announce a start date for the program.
The forum also included an update on the Community Health Association of Spokane’s plan to put a clinic in Moscow this spring.
CHAS provides healthcare, including general, dental and mental to people regardless of whether they have insurance or not.
Steve Bonnar, chairman of the committee and head of Sojourners Alliance, said the CHAS clinic is coming to Moscow as a direct result of the Poverty on the Palouse forum.
Mayor Nancy Chaney said the people of Moscow are responsive to poverty issues, but communication is not good.
Other projects the city is involved in include accepting EBT cards at the Moscow Farmers Market, a program supported by Backyard Harvest.
In 2012, the market accepted $6,212 in EBT sales.
Bev Bafus, treasurer of Backyard Harvest, said the non-profit group processes the cards by swiping them and giving wooden tokens for people to buy produce at the market.
The Idaho Foodbank offers a school backpack program, where eligible children are given backpacks containing two each of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks on the last day of the school week.
The poverty study said 2,000 backpacks are distributed each week, but about 7,000 are needed.
As for the food stamp program in Idaho, only 55 percent of those eligible use the benefits, according to the study.
The study highlighted resources in Moscow for each category, such as housing options, food shelters, childcare options and healthcare options.
In each category, the League of Women Voters advocated for a more centralized resource list.
Bonnar said there will be such a list eventually, but these groups must be cautious not to get into too many programs too quickly.
“There is only so much our communities can absorb at one time,” Bonnar said, attributing the statement to Chaney.
Kasen Christensen can be reached at [email protected]