Transitioning From Welfare

Over the years I have known many young single mothers who had to rely on help from the state. One thing that I have noticed is that whenever these young ladies tried to find work in order to get off of the program, they ran into difficulties. Furthermore it has become even more important to examine the effects of leaving welfare since the “Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act” (PRWOR) passed in 1996. I will be looking at what the act did for the welfare system. From there I want to look into what is known or not known about the fate of these families that have left the system since 1996. As I look at this subject I want to look at Asset Based Community Development and other community building tools. What are they and how can they help families transition from welfare to the workforce while becoming more self sufficient? This paper is not meant to attack the welfare system, but to empower all neighborhoods so that they can overcome the obstacles that keep them from being everything they can be.
What is the “Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act” of 1996? It is the legislation that is considered the first step in welfare reform. The act replaced “Aid to Families with Dependent Children” (AFDC) with “Temporary Assistance for Needy Families” (TANF). The first thing the act did was to require those accepting assistance to actively look for work. Focusing on single mothers with dependent children the act also limits the total benefits that can be claimed over a lifetime to sixty months.


Since its passage in 1996, eight million people have claimed benefits. The monthly caseload is around the two million mark. Over that time at least two hundred-fifty thousand have been forced to leave the program. Their federal and state time limits had expired. There is not much information on how these families are doing as there is no mandate to track the successfulness of those leaving the program. This means that we do not know if the families that have run out of time are starving, have a roof over their head, or even getting the medical help that they need. After the time limit there is no option to return to welfare if a family cannot make it.
Some of the things that we do know, reminds me why we as a people must learn how to become real neighbors. Over 31% of single women that have children are living under the poverty level. A family of four that makes $22,050 is considered to be at the 100% of the poverty level. The statistics quoted here and in my research material may not be accurate as they come from sources like unemployment insurance records that do not track those who do not look for work. If a family does not know what is available to them they will not apply for existing aid which means they will not be tracked in any way.
In the late 1990’s, not long after the act went into effect, the employment levels went up due to the booming economy. This means that the welfare caseloads went down as it was easy for the women to find jobs. In the early part of the new century, the economy has declined causing the unemployment rate of poor mothers to jump from 9.8% to 12.3%. The effect of the current recession has not been reported yet.

Of the jobs that the women leaving welfare have found, the majority are low paying, require little training and provide no benefits. Most of these jobs keep the women below the poverty level. At least a third of these women rely on extended family to help them get by. Among the women who have left welfare some are not working. Around twenty-five percent of the non-working women are unable to work due to illness or disability. Some of these women qualify for social security disability, or other programs. The process may be overwhelming without the help of others. Another drawback to any program is that it still relies on the government to provide for our neighbors.
By focusing on getting people off TANF and into the workforce, the PRWOR overlooks some of the barriers to succeeding in the workforce. As women go back to work their children may have needs that cause them to miss work to take care of them. Some of the women that have been forced off welfare have a limited education that also limits the jobs that they are qualified for. They can also have a limited work experience. Women in poor health have problems with work attendance issues, which is a barrier to success.
Due to these barriers some of the people may end up cycling on and off welfare until their benefits expire. Benefits get interrupted making their incomes unstable. The whole cycle makes the persons employment history look poor, which makes it even harder to get and hold a job.



There are many more disadvantages for people who stay on TANF for the full five years without going into the workforce. Studies have shown that many of these women have low reasoning capabilities, a limited education and language skills. They are also prone to have more physical health problems. All of these are issues that make it even more important for neighbors to get involved.
There are a few support programs in existence for the people who leave TANF for work. For those who do not receive medical benefits on the job, Medicaid is available based on income. With these limitations, there are those who do not qualify which makes it hard to keep them and their children healthy. There is a limited amount of childcare available that may or may not continue after the sixty months. Private childcare is costly, with the cost of providing care for one child can cost more than the mother can earn.
As the mother makes more money, any childcare benefits that she may receive will decrease. These costs then become too much for the mothers to keep up with. Food stamps are available for those who qualify due to income.
So far we have been focusing on the results of passing PRWOR on those leaving welfare. From this point on I will be focusing on how we as neighbors can ease this transition so that when people leave welfare, they have a better chance at succeeding. There are five community building tools that are very effective in this process. Each of these tools can be used by itself, but to provide the most benefit we must look at each neighborhood and individual to see which tools, or combination of tools will guarantee success. Another thing to remember is that we need to act as a neighborhood, working together to accomplish these goals. Relying on outside sources alone fosters dependence and helps keep the poverty cycle going.
The first tool in the community building inventory is the capacity inventory. Anyone working to develop community can take this inventory by using a one on one survey that focus on individual skills and abilities instead of needs, problems, and deficiencies. To be sure that you get accurate information the survey should be done by people who live in the neighborhood who have a passion for making change. These people are more likely to get an honest response from their neighbors. The survey will ask each person what they do best, and where they can use these skills. By nurturing these skills you can do anything from creating new jobs to developing training opportunities.
We have two different categories of skills that we need to explore. There are those that lead to employment or enterprise creation. The other category is for skills that might be used to contribute to the community. One of the uses for these skills might be for the neighbors to create skills banks. They can then barter or give talents to others in the community.
Another use is to create a learning exchange where people can teach and learn from each other. You can also create community celebrations that feature the cultural and artistic skills of the residents. By involving the whole community and using all of their skills the neighbors form new relationships that narrow the gap between the jobless and those with work. Why is this important? Because it builds social support and provides more economic opportunities.
The next tool in our inventory is the self help peer group. Not only are these great for those trying to overcome addiction, but they can also be used for training purposes. People are more likely to learn from others in their own peer group. There are neighborhoods that have used peer groups to provide peer financed “loan circles” modeled on Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank. Peer groups convert people with needs into people that have resources and give help.
We then come to a tool used with success in Canada that has made its way to the United States. This tool is the circle of support. The circle of support is a small group consisting of friends and family of the person trying to make the change in their life. The friends and family help to set goals to be met. They then discuss the barriers to reaching those goals. From there they strategize on ways to reach the goals. This helps their friend or family member make their dreams for the future be realized. The person receiving the support learns how to plan, gather resources, and ask for help. This helps them to build new relationships while using skills to reconnect with the community.
The first three tools in the community tool box have focused on individuals within the community, and how they can work together to get things done. There are cases where we might need more resources than these. The next two tools help us to tap into more resources than the individual can give.
We now move on to the associational inventory. As associations in the community have a mission, they are ideally suited to bring neighbors together. They activate residents to accomplish goals. They also amplify the talent, resources and skills of members of society. Associations include religious groups, social and cultural groups as well as groups organized for neighborhood improvement and advocacy. Some examples are the VFW, American Legion, your local church, lake associations to name a few. Many of these organizations are willing to take on more community building tasks if asked. They are often willing to include welfare recipients in their organizations.

Our last tool is the Business Inventory. This consists of identifying the businesses in the neighborhood and working with them to make changes for the better. The inventory can be used to identify future and present employment opportunities. As we work with business we can build relationships between the businesses and residents on welfare to create opportunity that the current welfare system does not identify. We can work with the businesses in the area to ensure that any job training we develop is designed with real employment opportunities in mind.
What have I been doing build community in my home town? I have been involved with Asset Based Community Development through one of the local churches for the last year. Some of the things that I have found in the rural surroundings of Maine have showed me that there has to be some thought put into how to make it work here. Most communities that have been successful with this process are in the cities. People tend to know their neighbors a little better as they are forced to interact due to the fact that the urban population is closer together. In Maine, a majority of us live farther apart, forcing us to put effort into interacting with our neighbors. Our jobs are usually twenty to thirty minutes from our home, so those we do interact with are not our neighbors.
 I am in the process of showing the local church that they have the skills to reach out and be a true neighbor. This means that they have skills of the head, like the knowledge to teach someone how to read, skills of the heart, their passions, and skills of the hands, like being able to cook meals for those that are unable. The next step in this process is to find families, including myself, who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and invite neighbors over for coffee, dinner, or anything else that will bring neighbors together. Between the pastor and myself we have managed to show the congregation how to look for neighbors that could use our interaction, or help. We have helped one young man, who was injured, by finishing his shed for him.
As I have been educating the church, I have been trying to educate the community by writing articles for the local newspapers. As I go into the community to some of the local gatherings I have been letting my neighbors know what I am doing. This has had an effect on the community as I was invited to a “Future Search” conference by the local school district. I was very impressed by the process, as it focuses on many of the same ideas as ABCD. “Future Search” invites the major players of the community to come and brainstorm about changes they feel are needed in the community or school district in this case. There were teachers, local pastors, business owners, and other people involved with the community. They have taken this information and built a planning board with guidelines developed from the conference. One of the main points brought out in the conference was the need for parents to be more involved. They have implemented better communications with parents. Another was the responsible use of technology. We want to make sure that our children know how to use technology to better their chances after school, while making sure that they maintain the basic reading, writing, and mathematical skills. In this way we know that our children would survive the loss of technology if it ever happened.
As we start working together as neighbors, using any or all of these tools we will start seeing people in our neighborhoods instead of “welfare recipients”. By doing so we will be bringing the neighborhood together and improve the community as a whole, not just the “needy”. This will improve both the social and economic condition of the neighborhood. I believe that once we start in one neighborhood showing growth, it will spread out and the whole state will be better for it. Not only will we know that those leaving welfare will make it, but I believe that this will give incentive for more people to leave the system.

References
Green, M., & Kretzman, J. P. (1998). A community toolbox for welfare reform: Building the bridge from client to citizen [Brochure]. Retrieved from http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/96/toolbox.html
Green, M., & Kretzmann, J. P. (1997, November/December). Community tool box for welfare reform: Building the bridge from client to citizen. Retrieved February 26, 2010, from National Housing lnstitute: Shelterforce Online website: http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/96/toolbox.html
Hildebrandt, E., PhD, RN, ANP., & Stevens, P., PhD, RN. (2009, May). Impoverished women with children and no welfare benefits: The urgency of researching failures of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program. American Journal of Public Health, 99(5), 793-801. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1683162601&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=31650&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Retrieved March 30, 2010

The Last Year

You sit there thinking about the last year and all of the changes that you have made and have been forced to make.

Just under one year ago you lose your job due to the poor economy. The company that you worked for is heavily reliant on the manufacturing industry. With the cutbacks all over the country companies have not been able to purchase the equipment that the business that I worked for manufactured. Your boss says that your position is gone. Management has decided to split your responsibilities among the other men in the office. This doesn’t bother you too much, as you have been expecting it. The other guys tried to say that they wouldn’t do away with your job as you did all of the administrative work in the office. You knew better; they could easily do it.

During the months before losing your job you had started working with a local church doing work in the community, and had been trying to figure out a way to get more involved. This opened up that door for you.

Over the next few months you work with the existing team at the church trying to bring it together under one vision. While you are at it, you attend a few seminars on the Church’s role in the community and Asset Based Community Development. This work focuses on the skills of the people in the community, not their needs or weaknesses.

It is early in the year. Your wife is worried that you will get into the work so much that you forget about making a living and paying the bills. You also notice that she is afraid that she will lose you to something she doesn’t understand. She isn’t bothered by the work in the community, but the Church’s role disturbs her. She has seen examples of families living in hardship when the husband uses “Faith” as an excuse not to go to work and make a living. In most of those cases, there is no plan, or even mission, just the man’s desire to not work for someone else. You keep this in mind focusing on ways to ease those fears and try to include her in your decisions. While working with the church and denomination you try to build a position at the church so that you have an income when the time and need arise.

 As the summer starts, things get bleak. Most of the team you have been working with gets frustrated as they do not see the vision of community. They decide to leave the team. At the same time, the pastor is going through his own rough patch. He is working too many hours, and trying to help everyone at once who is in crisis. At the same time there are some hurtful things said to him that he takes personally. Being a man who cares for both his congregation and the community, it is hard when things seem to be falling apart.

You start to think that if the pastor, who is the only one who seems to share the vision with you, is about to break down, that it isn’t worth it. Your wife is worried about you and you start to wonder if you are really meant to do the work or if you are deluding yourself and are afraid to look for other work in the poor economy.

While the pastor is on vacation getting recharged for his mission you start thinking of ways to make it work. You realize that your target is too big to start with, that you have to focus on your mission. You start writing articles about community to be published in the local newspapers. When the pastor is back, you work with him to bring the vision to the congregation in small easy to understand chunks.

 As the summer is drawing to a close, you realize that the church and the denomination cannot support a position. You would have to spend more time fund raising than would be productive. As you come to this realization, you get a letter in the mail stating that the President is trying to make it easier to go to school and retrain if you are unemployed. You go to your career advisor and work out a plan to retrain. That fall, for the first time in thirty years you start your first semester in school. You haven’t given up on the work; you are just focusing your mind on learning the skills needed to make it successful.

 You are now coming upon one year without a job. Some of the fears about the community work are still there, but you have a plan. That makes it easier.

A Neighbor’s Reaction to State Budget Cuts

The other day I was watching the news on television when a story on the current budget crisis in Augusta came on. There were a group of people protesting some of the proposed cuts which affected their clients, or family. This group was representing some of our neighbors that have either mental or physical disabilities. The proposed cuts would eliminate services that help these people to survive with some independence and dignity.

I am still learning what it means to be a good neighbor, but if we as a society open our eyes to our neighbors and make an effort to know them as people, we can help to reduce the damages done by this type of cut. How is this possible? As we get involved with our neighbors, we will see that everyone has something to offer to society. You might find that the person next door that is forced to be in a wheel chair is good at woodwork. Once you know that, you may find that he is interested in teaching other people. The next neighbor might have teenagers that do not know what they want to do in the future. You might talk them into visiting the neighbor that likes to do woodwork. As they get to know him, the teenagers might find that they like to work with wood themselves and ask him to teach them. As they learn to work with wood, the teenagers might see another neighbor doing a project like building a shed and offer to help.

We need to forget the labels that society places on people in order to see the real person. Every person has a lot to offer to you, me and society as a whole. It doesn’t matter if they are physically unable to care for themselves or have mental challenges that make it difficult to communicate what is on their mind.

The first thing that our neighbors have to offer is skills. It could be a small skill like the ability and passion to make things with their hands, even small crafts. They can draw out the hospitality found in all of us who care for others. Compassion for others can be fostered when neighbors get to know each other. This may lead to friendship and happiness for both our neighbor and us. The final gift we can get from overlooking physical and mental disabilities in our neighbors is inspiration. As we see how they continue to live and be independent it will inspire us to see our own difficulties in a different light.

How could this help with the current budget crisis? As we get to know each other as neighbors we will work together to overcome any challenges in the neighborhood. Instead of hiring people to be caretakers the neighborhood, as a group we can work out a schedule to visit those in need and help them where needed. At the same time we want to foster any skills or passions that the neighbor might have. We could have that neighbor over to play games with the family, or do crafts with the children. By having the whole neighborhood involved everyone grows and friendships are born.

For those of you who are still skeptical about the skills and offerings that the handicapped can offer, please remember that one of the most brilliant minds in science belonged to a man who was physically handicapped, Stephen Hawking. Yes I know that Stephen was highly motivated and refused to let his handicap stop him. The thing is, as we interact with each other, we inspire each other and foster that same motivation and passion making this one less obstacle in living independently. Please think about this as you think about what it is to be a good neighbor.