| Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Should Reduce Family
Poverty Close to half of families who have left welfare remain poor, even
though most of those who have left welfare have worked. In welfare
reform's next phase, reducing child and family poverty must be made an
explicit purpose of the law. If Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF, or welfare) is to be improved as a means of reducing poverty,
federal and state funding must at least be maintained and adjusted for
inflation. States should receive additional funds to help reduce family
poverty and to increase the availability of child care for working
families. TANF can do more to support work if low wages plus TANF cash
benefits do not count against the 5-year time limit, if families can earn
back months of assistance through months of work, and if more education
and training count towards fulfilling the work requirement. TANF must do
more to protect very vulnerable families, such as those with disabilities
or who have suffered domestic violence. States should be required to
review cases to ensure that families are not wrongly dropped from TANF and
that severe work barriers are caught before families lose TANF. In a time
of growing unemployment, states must have more flexibility to exempt these
families from time limits. Further, the law should do more to ensure that
children and families get the help for which they are eligible. Families
leaving welfare must continue to receive food stamps, Medicaid, child
care, and other necessary supports to make the transition from welfare a
success. Child care is a critical support to low-income families--those
leaving welfare and those in the workforce. The reauthorization of the
welfare reform legislation provides an important opportunity to improve
and expand the availability and quality of child care. Funding for the
Child Care and Development Block Grant must be increased so that every
family who needs help can get it, and so states can improve the overall
quality of child care while also increasing wages and education for child
care teachers. As a social worker in the school district for the past 5
years, I have seen the results of the change from AFDC to TANF. Although
some changes have been helpful to get families to work, the time limits
placed on supportive benefits such as food stamps, child care and medical
put families in a position to remain as "working poor" or to quit jobs
altogether because they don't have the support they need to be at work.
Most of the jobs they can get are minimum wage jobs, and they find it
nearly impossible to work full-time, not get medical benefits and then
have to take time off to take care of sick children they cannot received
medical for. The cost of child care has risen phenomenally, and not at the
same rate wages have. So often these kids are left home alone after school
because families can't affort the care. It's clearly a vicious cycle that
continues to undermine their efforts. There's no question in my mind that
this cycle contributes to the increased drug use in our community. I see
it day to day all to often to dismiss it. I know you wouldn't be involved
in this area of legislation if you weren't interested in the welfare of
families and children. Please listen to those of us who work side by side
with them in our communities. |
