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TANF Reauthorization

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Written Comments by Leader:

Janine Douglas

Lee Goodwin Residence

1950 Prospect Ave., #3D

Bronx, NY 10457

Tel. 718-294-9456

INTRODUCTION

My name is Janine Douglas. I am a twenty-eight year old single mother of a two-and-a-half year old boy living in New York City. I have been in the homeless shelter system since June 16, 2001. Currently I am residing at a temporary housing Tier II shelter called Lee Goodwin Residence. At Lee Goodwin (entrance date August 2, 2001), I have participated in various workshops pertaining to: health awareness, housing, independent living, and others. A neighbor at the residence introduced me to an organization comprised of over 3000 low-income families on public assistance, and other poor people, who are working to improve the lives of their communities and their families. This organization is CVH – Community Voices Heard. I am submitting my comments on behalf of myself and the membership of CVH.

I am taking the time to submit these written comments so that my personal, localized story can be seen as an example of what is NOT working with the current welfare system. Prior to my entrance at the Emergency Assistance Unit (the EAU is where homeless individuals and families need to first go to get a shelter placement), I applied for public assistance – the date was June 4, 2001. I did not know the procedures. My personal experience with the system, not very different from that of so many others, has demonstrated again and again how faulty the system is. My case has been opened and closed many times, due to misinformation and miscommunication rather than any fault of my own. It is MY story, and that of many others, that should inform you of the changes that need to take place amidst TANF Reauthorization. Time limits and decreased access to education and training will NOT move people to self-sufficiency. The creation of jobs, and the development of a supportive structure to get people into them, is what will.

PROBLEMS WITH LOCAL WELFARE CENTERS:

THE CONSTANT RUN-AROUND MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO MOVE TOWARD SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN FIVE YEARS

Lack of information and miscommunication caused my case to take longer than I expected to open when I first applied. Since I did not know who to turn to for advice, or even what questions to ask, I listened to the only person who seemed willing to give me specific instructions. This was an employee of a local welfare center. I had every reason to believe that he was there to help me through the system. Turned out, the instructions he gave were wrong, and I was misdirected. I missed a meeting that no one explained to me I needed to be at. My case was then closed without notice, for failure to comply. This was my first attempt at an Income Maintenance Center (IMC) in Brooklyn, New York on Dekalb Avenue. Unfortunately, this was only the beginning of many similar problems.

The second time I applied was at my Tier I shelter in Wakefield in the Bronx. My need to apply again was based on more misinformation. My caseworker in Brooklyn, Mr. Sunday, thought it was in my best interest to close my case and have me reopen another in the Bronx – the long commute from my Bronx home to the Brooklyn center was making it difficult to make all appointments. It was only after the fact that I found out, I could have just had my case transferred and saved myself a lot of hassle. Not a problem. I reapplied for public assistance in the Bronx on July 19, 2001 at IM Center 45 on Jerome Avenue. The Emergency Issuance Check that was disbursed to me was enough to purchase toiletries, pampers, and baby wipes for my son.

In order to maintain temporary housing in Lee Goodwin, one’s welfare case has to be open with all required documents. My case was closed again because I supposedly did not comply with either the Eligibility Verification Review (EVR is the process through which they come and check your living standards) or the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE is the department in charge of making sure absent parents pay their share of child support). Them thinking I was not complying was false. I DID comply – I attended all my assigned appointments - but was dismissed because I did not have a birth certificate for myself and my child. I asked a caseworker, Mr. Ramos, if they give vouchers for birth certificates. He stated, “They used to, but no longer do so.” I had made it through all the other processes, when I first applied for public assistance and shelter, with documentation acknowledging paternity. Yet, when I went to the windows at OCSE and EVR with this same documentation, they refused to let me meet with the necessary workers. I later found out that they should not have denied me my appointment – I still could have been seen. So, I applied for a Fair Hearing – all of this while awaiting permanent housing at the Tier II shelter. Since they had already falsely closed my case, I was unable to get Aid to Continue while waiting for the Fair Hearing (“Aid to Continue” is the option the state provides for recipients to keep their benefit levels at the level they believe is justified while they are awaiting an official ruling). I had to reapply…again.

When I reapplied, I explained the whole entire story to my NEW caseworker, Ms. Irizary. She then told me that they public assistance system DOES distribute vouchers for birth certificates. So, with that in mind, I reported back to my counselors that they would be on their way. Ms. Irizary failed to inform me that it would take 6-8 weeks for their arrival and that they wouldn’t come to me, but would go directly to the center. This was right after I was being faced with an involuntary discharge either to another Tier II, that would be the evidence of the horrible stories in regards to health and sanitation, or to the EAU which was the equivalent to just that.

My son was already getting sick and irritable from the “shelter” atmosphere itself.

Now that my case is finally open, I’m being told that I’m reaching my time limits….something that’s not even true – I’ve only received cash assistance for half a year. It seems to me that now that I’m finally on the right track, the light at the end of the tunnel is being put out. If they move forward treating me like a person who has reached their time limits, I’ll be able to receive some state benefits should I need them, but I’m still no closer to where I need to be to make the transition to self-sufficiency and living independently. My time is being wasted, like that of so many others, running around in circles trying to correct my case rather than dedicating my time to furthering my education, advancing my skills, or getting real job experience. With the system functioning as it does, five years can NEVER be enough. Assistance needs to be based on needs, not time.

Like for so many others, the pursuit of my application for my very survival is vital. I don’t do this because I WANT to; I do this because I HAVE to. I am tired of being bounced around the board like a ping-pong. If the whole focus of welfare reform is about independent living and self-sufficiency, then stability should also be a factor to consider.

I believe since the TANF law took effect in 1996, the changes are literally hurting people internally and hurting communities externally. It is too bad policy makers can’t apply for public assistance themselves and learn first hand what is needed to improve the system. This is exactly why the voices of the recipients need to be heard – we bring a perspective to the debate that you don’t have.

SUGGESTIONS FOR REAUTHORIZATION

TANF Reauthorization needs to be based on ideas from the recipients - or at least needs to allow a portion of the platform to be voiced by those recipients. If not, “welfare” will actually become “farewell” – we’ll say goodbye to the “organized” confusion of the system and people will need to resort to whatever possible to survive…including crime.

So as not to end up with this, here’s what I suggest we do:

(1) Create Jobs for people that include real wages, responsibilities, interests, self-fulfillment, and advancement possibilities – meaning, do not give us jobs just to fulfill a requirement.

(2) Provide adequate benefits, such as trustworthy childcare, so that people can maintain these jobs and succeed at them.

(3) Set standards of assessment and training for caseworkers. In order for us (recipients) to fulfill our end of the bargain on the road to self-sufficiency, those who are the head-starters of our cases need to be assessed as well as the recipients, so that they can be more observant in determining where to place recipients for assignments. In addition, proper information needs to be given to them so they can do their jobs effectively. The fact that you have so many disgruntled employees is the cause of frustration on the part of many clients who feel their caseworkers do not care or never have the right information.

(4) Expand education and training programs and make them more accessible, because two years of training is not enough time to prepare for a lifetime of stability, self-sufficiency, and independence.

All of these suggestions would, in turn, break the chains from public assistance and allow freedom for the recipient to determine her own DESTINY!

CONCLUSION

Once I am placed in permanent housing, and utilize the transitional benefits available to me, believe me, my every intention is to get off welfare. As my personal story shows, the system as it now stands is NOT working. There are far too many loopholes and far too little support. The suggestions I give above are a first step to solving the issues around welfare reform.

In conclusion, the real experts on welfare reform are the recipients. We need to be heard. No policies that you decide without our input are going to work. You are making decisions about things you know little about. It’s time for you to walk in our shoes for a day and to experience the reality of your policies – the ping-pong effect (constant back and forth with no advancement) that I live out in my daily life. This will help you better determine what needs to be done.

With you doing your part, and us doing ours, eventually we’ll be able to meet our goals.

The Ping-Pong Effect: Why Five Years Is Not Enough