Announcement

WASHINGTON, March 21 - In a trend that has surprised many experts, the federal welfare rolls have declined over the last three years, even as unemployment, poverty and the number of food stamp recipients have surged in a weak economy.

After Congress overhauled the nation's welfare system in 1996, the number of families receiving benefits dropped much faster than federal and state officials had expected. Even more remarkable, officials say, the rolls did not grow during the recession of 2001 or the sluggish economy since.

WASHINGTON - Sunshine and warm temperatures aren't the only lures for retirees. They also want cheaper housing and some elbow room, and that has made places like Colorado, Idaho, Utah and New Mexico increasingly attractive to the over-65 set.

Each of those states saw its senior population grow by at least 6 percent between 2000 and 2003, placing them among the 10 fastest-growing states for that age group, according to Census Bureau figures being released Wednesday.

The USDA has just released the report "Reaching Those In Need: State Food Stamp Participation Rates in 2001". As always, participation rates are calculated using U.S. Census data adjusted to estimate the number of eligibles in each State. You'll note that Alaska, Hawaii, and Oregon continue to shine as top participation performers, while Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon earned participation gains in 2001.

By Laura Oates, KTVA 11 News

Right now more than 80 Alaskans are waiting for a second chance at life. Their names are on a closely monitored list. While their ailments may be different, their hope is the same, that they will live long enough to recieve an organ donation and a fighting chance at survival. In a special health report, we bring you the story of two Anchorage residents whose fates collided changing both of their lives forever.

I will be visiting as many offices as I can in the coming weeks to personally share our 2004 Strategic Plan with you. I am also excited to share many new, innovative ideas that your managers have adopted to revitalize and improve the DPA continuous improvement process. Clearly our goal is to improve our service and performance.

The DPA Child Care Program Office is pleased to announce the list of child care providers who are Licensed or Approved to care for children in Alaska has been updated and is now posted online. The list can be accessed through the Division of Public Assistance's main page by clicking on "Child Care," then "Child Care Facilities Database." Here is the direct link: Child Care Facilities Database.

The Program Integrity and Analysis (PI&A) section has been working to make DPA performance measures available to you online. Currently the District Office, the Work Services performance measures and the Food Stamp Accuracy Campaign pages are available. These measures can be accessed from the PI&A web page.

The Internal Revenue Service and AARP are seeking volunteers to provide free tax assistance in Anchorage and Mat-Su during the tax-filing season. The volunteers prepare federal and state returns for the elderly, disabled, non-English speaking and those with limited incomes.

"No tax or accounting experience is needed, only a desire to help others," said Judy Monahan, IRS spokeswoman. Besides people to prepare returns, they need site assistants, who greet taxpayers and make sure their paperwork is complete, among other tasks.

Princess Tours has begun taking applications for seasonal jobs this summer. Princess offers many different positions in a variety of areas, including their lodges, cruises, train, and bus/coach transportation. Their seasonal recruiting season generally runs from December through April.