Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

The Hunger Action Network of NYS criticized the Governor and the State Legislature today for failing for the 16th year in a row to raise the general welfare grant for poor children and their parents. The welfare grant today is only half of the federal poverty level, guaranteeing that welfare participants will not have enough funds to provide even the basic necessities for their families. “Over the last sixteen years, Congress has imposed stringent work requirements upon households receiving public assistance. The only adults left on welfare are those who are disabled or already engaged in work activities. Yet still the Governor and State Legislature refuse to raise the meager benefits, even though the federal funding formula for welfare has provided the state with a multi-billion surplus that was available to pay for the increase,” stated Bich Ha Pham, Executive Director of the Hunger Action Network of NYS. <!--break--> Hunger Action Faults Pataki, State Legislature For Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a Row The Hunger Action Network of NYS criticized the Governor and the State Legislature today for failing for the 16th year in a row to raise the general welfare grant for poor children and their parents. The welfare grant today is only half of the federal poverty level, guaranteeing that welfare participants will not have enough funds to provide even the basic necessities for their families. “Over the last sixteen years, Congress has imposed stringent work requirements upon households receiving public assistance. The only adults left on welfare are those who are disabled or already engaged in work activities. Yet still the Governor and State Legislature refuse to raise the meager benefits, even though the federal funding formula for welfare has provided the state with a multi-billion surplus that was available to pay for the increase,” stated Bich Ha Pham, Executive Director of the Hunger Action Network of NYS. “We trust that our next Governor will not turn his back on the plight of poor children and will support helping to lift these families out of poverty,” Pham added. The group also pointed out that in a year when the state had a multi-billion surplus, not only did the Governor and Legislature fail to raise welfare benefits, they failed to restore many of the major cuts in human service programs that were enacted as part of the post-9/11 “barebones” budget. “Even when the state is flush with money, the poor don’t get a cut of the pie,” noted Mark Dunlea, Associate Director of Hunger Action. “More and more low-income New Yorkers, even those with a job, are forced to line up at food pantries and soup kitchens because they don’t have enough to pay their rent, utility and health care bills.” A few years ago, state officials did enact a small adjustment in the shelter allowance for public assistance due to the pressure of a decade-old Jiggetts lawsuit and court decisions requiring them to do so. The minimal increase however was merely designed to try to get out from under the court ruling that welfare benefits for housing were illegally low, since it is impossible for families with children to find adequate housing at the level provided by the state. Many families must use a portion of their basic allowance to pay the rent, because the shelter allowance in the public assistance grant is rarely sufficient to meet the housing cost. For example, in Monroe County a family of three with two children heating with gas has a shelter allowance of $397 per month, while the HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2 bedroom apartment is $687. “In New York City the entire public assistance grant for a family of three, including the shelter allowance, is $691 per month, while the fair market rent for a two bedroom apartment is $1075. Obviously these allowances are inadequate and, without additional funds, lead to increased family homelessness”, said Heidi Siegfried, Supervising Attorney at The Partnership for the Homeless. It costs New York City $36,000 per year to shelter a homeless a family. Since the basic welfare grant was last increased in 1990, the cost of living has increased by nearly 50%. Fuel oil and natural gas prices have on average more than doubled since the fuel for heating allowance for welfare participants was adjusted in 1987. There is a desperate need to provide enhanced resources to enable poor families to survive this winter and beyond. Despite the 61% decline in the public assistance rolls since welfare reform in the late 1990s, more than 600,000 New Yorkers, including more than 350,000 children, require public assistance to meet their most basic needs. A large portion of the people remaining on public assistance cannot be expected to increase their income through earnings. In New York City, 45% of the caseload is not expected to engage in work activities because they are child only cases, are disabled by HIV/AIDS, have a head of household over 60, have a head of household on SSI or SSI pending or they have significant disabilities. In 1975 public assistance for a three person family was equal to 110% of the Federal Poverty Level. Today it has fallen to less than 51% of the poverty level. To keep pace with the rising cost of living, the $291 a family of three received for non-shelter needs in 1990 would today have to be increased by 49%, to $435.00.

<p>The Hunger Action Network of NYS criticized the Governor and the State Legislature today for failing for the 16th year in a row to raise the general welfare grant for poor children and their parents. The welfare grant today is only half of the federal poverty level, guaranteeing that welfare participants will not have enough funds to provide even the basic necessities for their families. “Over the last sixteen years, Congress has imposed stringent work requirements upon households receiving public assistance. The only adults left on welfare are those who are disabled or already engaged in work activities. Yet still the Governor and State Legislature refuse to raise the meager benefits, even though the federal funding formula for welfare has provided the state with a multi-billion surplus that was available to pay for the increase,” stated Bich Ha Pham, Executive Director of the Hunger Action Network of NYS.</p> <!--break--><p>Hunger Action Faults Pataki, State Legislature For Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a Row</p> <p>The Hunger Action Network of NYS criticized the Governor and the State Legislature today for failing for the 16th year in a row to raise the general welfare grant for poor children and their parents. The welfare grant today is only half of the federal poverty level, guaranteeing that welfare participants will not have enough funds to provide even the basic necessities for their families.</p> <p>“Over the last sixteen years, Congress has imposed stringent work requirements upon households receiving public assistance. The only adults left on welfare are those who are disabled or already engaged in work activities. Yet still the Governor and State Legislature refuse to raise the meager benefits, even though the federal funding formula for welfare has provided the state with a multi-billion surplus that was available to pay for the increase,” stated Bich Ha Pham, Executive Director of the Hunger Action Network of NYS.</p> <p>“We trust that our next Governor will not turn his back on the plight of poor children and will support helping to lift these families out of poverty,” Pham added.</p> <p>The group also pointed out that in a year when the state had a multi-billion surplus, not only did the Governor and Legislature fail to raise welfare benefits, they failed to restore many of the major cuts in human service programs that were enacted as part of the post-9/11 “barebones” budget. </p> <p>“Even when the state is flush with money, the poor don’t get a cut of the pie,” noted Mark Dunlea, Associate Director of Hunger Action. “More and more low-income New Yorkers, even those with a job, are forced to line up at food pantries and soup kitchens because they don’t have enough to pay their rent, utility and health care bills.”</p> <p>A few years ago, state officials did enact a small adjustment in the shelter allowance for public assistance due to the pressure of a decade-old Jiggetts lawsuit and court decisions requiring them to do so. The minimal increase however was merely designed to try to get out from under the court ruling that welfare benefits for housing were illegally low, since it is impossible for families with children to find adequate housing at the level provided by the state.</p> <p>Many families must use a portion of their basic allowance to pay the rent, because the shelter allowance in the public assistance grant is rarely sufficient to meet the housing cost. For example, in Monroe County a family of three with two children heating with gas has a shelter allowance of $397 per month, while the HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2 bedroom apartment is $687. </p> <p>“In New York City the entire public assistance grant for a family of three, including the shelter allowance, is $691 per month, while the fair market rent for a two bedroom apartment is $1075. Obviously these allowances are inadequate and, without additional funds, lead to increased family homelessness”, said Heidi Siegfried, Supervising Attorney at The Partnership for the Homeless. It costs New York City $36,000 per year to shelter a homeless a family.</p> <p>Since the basic welfare grant was last increased in 1990, the cost of living has increased by nearly 50%. Fuel oil and natural gas prices have on average more than doubled since the fuel for heating allowance for welfare participants was adjusted in 1987. There is a desperate need to provide enhanced resources to enable poor families to survive this winter and beyond.</p> <p>Despite the 61% decline in the public assistance rolls since welfare reform in the late 1990s, more than 600,000 New Yorkers, including more than 350,000 children, require public assistance to meet their most basic needs. A large portion of the people remaining on public assistance cannot be expected to increase their income through earnings. In New York City, 45% of the caseload is not expected to engage in work activities because they are child only cases, are disabled by HIV/AIDS, have a head of household over 60, have a head of household on SSI or SSI pending or they have significant disabilities. </p> <p>In 1975 public assistance for a three person family was equal to 110% of the Federal Poverty Level. Today it has fallen to less than 51% of the poverty level. To keep pace with the rising cost of living, the $291 a family of three received for non-shelter needs in 1990 would today have to be increased by 49%, to $435.00.</p>

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row http://rochester.indymedia.org/node/3068

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row http://rochester.indymedia.org/node/3068

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row

Hunger Action Criticize State Leaders for Failing to Raise Welfare Benefits for 16th Year in a row