The Athens County Department of Job & Family Services sent a one question survey to all current Ohio Works First households in February 2008. These quotes represent a sample of the responses to the following question:
"What financial or medical hardships are you facing?"
“Every month I live with the fear of being evicted. I’m a single mom with two children…and if that were to happen, I have nowhere to go. I currently get OWF $410, but my rent is $425 not including utilities, or diapers, wipes, toilet paper, shampoo, soap, laundry detergent or gas for my van. Because of all the rising costs, I’m digging a financial hole every month I can’t get out of. This causes a lot of depression, despair and worry. I’m so busy with the worry of money, I can’t even enjoy my children as much as I would like to. Please, please help us, this can’t go on. Somebody be our voice. Sincerely…”
“I feel kind of a let-down and basically worthless to my son. If I had a car and extra money to feed him our hopes would begin to open up doors.”
“I never have enough money to pay my bills. I always have to figure out how to pay for food, I get disconnection notices all of the time. I never have enough gas to transport my children to and from school. I don’t have enough money to buy my children new clothes or school supplies. I don’t have enough money to enroll my children in any kind of sports or activities. I’m always worried about how I’m going to pay for things. I don’t have enough money to transport my children or myself to doctor’s appointment. I just don’t have enough money. Gas is too high priced, so is food. How am I supposed to raise a family of 5 on one income? Please help, give us more money to live on.”
“…I am a single father taking care of my 4-year old daughter…I have realized that due to the high bottle gas prices (which is a necessity to have in my home for cooking, heating, and having hot water for showers) and now the rising prices for automotive gasoline, complications have developed in my ability to provide my daughter with new clothing and new shoes when she needs them. This situation is also hurting my daughter due to our home and our vehicle (our only form of transportation), needing desperate repairs done to them. I could sit here and write a novel to you regarding all of the financial, physical, and mental hardships that I face on a day to day basis.”
“For the past few months my family has been unable to fully pay our monthly rent for our home. My fiancé’s job hours go up and down by the week. We have had to put ourselves further in debt by borrowing money just to have a place to live...It doesn’t help being denied for disability, over and over again. We began to lose hope, living paycheck to paycheck has really been a struggle. It just feels at times, people like us are looked at like lazy, poor individuals, which is obviously not the case at all. We just wanna be able to support our children and ourselves without worrying, what is to happen ‘next month.’”
“…There are days we don’t get to eat a solid meal, just soup and bread if we are lucky because I have other children that are over age and stop by to eat with us…”
“The income I receive is four hundred and ten dollars a month. My rent is four hundred dollars a month. By the time I pay my rent, I have to borrow money from my mother and friend to pay the utilities and don’t know were the money is coming from to pay it back…”
“It is very hard to get all that you can to feed your children when you don’t have the money or food stamps to buy them with. With the cost of gas now a days you get to pick either buy a gallon of milk or get a gallon of gas. And, if you don’t have gas to go get your child milk then you are just out of luck…”
“Trying to find a house to rent that I can afford…and money for gas…I just started working but its still hard to make ends meets. I’m on HUD waiting list going on two years now and still nothing is happening so far.”
“…I always run short on money for toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, tampons, dish and laundry soap. And like everyone else who gets help from the state, I live disconnect notice from disconnect notice…I challenge any and all of our government officials to try to live off $336 per month. And let’s not forget we have to put gas in our cars at almost $4 a gallon.”
“…Without assistance we wouldn’t be able to make it so were very grateful the help is there, we just wish it could be more.”
“…Our food stamps don’t go a long way. Food prices have gone up, bills have all gone up and our income remains the same…I don’t like living month to month…Thank you for asking our opinions.”
“Where do I begin? I’m a single parent of three. I do get help…on top of that I work. I still struggle every pay check/every month…It would be really nice to be able to have some money in my pocket to be able to do something with my kids. As my kids are always telling me how they want this or want to do that and I have to tell them no. It’s sad when I can not even treat them to a 99 cent cheeseburger for good behavior.”
“…The food stamps we get are not enough to feed us for the month. We can’t buy anything healthy, it must be what’s on sale or what we can afford. Plus, I’ve got to throw in $100-$150 in money to the food cost every month. I also don’t have transportation. Instead of giving someone $20 for a 17 mile ride to the store I am giving them $40 for wear and tear and fuel.”
“…Raising 3 grandkids is a very hard task. I had to quite my job to keep kids. I could not pay for babysitter and could not get help…”
“…I don’t have enough money to buy my son clothes and shoes for school. I didn’t need help until I had a heart attack April 2007. I worked and I miss it a lot because I got paid every week and I was getting more a month. So if I can get help for gas and food, clothes, we would feel rich.”
“I am a single parent trying to raise 2 children on $410 a month because my doc says I’m unable to work…by the time you pay your utilities you have nothing left so you are struggling every month just to survive. I can see why people are depressed and turning to violence because they feel that they have no other choice…”
“I have financial hardships with trying to buy quality fresh nutritious food for my family of 4. Doctors, school, even family members tell me that my four year old eats too much pasta and other carbs (contributing to his weight gain) as opposed to fruits and vegetables! Duh! Fresh, quality fruits and veggies are too expensive to buy once a week! My food stamps do not cover my family’s needs!”
“…always running out of food before the month is half-way over.”
“…and I think every day there are people out there, that go through and have it rougher than I do.”
“…medical card sometimes doesn’t cover the medications we need.”
“…Financially, we can’t afford anything but pay rent and utility bills. We can’t afford gas (prices are too high) if children need something special for school or for a sporting activity, it’s a struggle to get it, if they get it. It’s a struggle to keep up with buying personal hygiene items in a month’s time…Medically, we can’t afford to pay for medication that our insurance will not cover even if we need it, pre-authorizations are denied! So we do without a medicine because we don’t have the money to pay for it!”
Summary Observations:
Most respondents noted the rising costs of food and gasoline are adding to their increased debt while they try to continue to make it to work or doctors appointments on limited income. Others talked about the problems with the Medicaid card not covering all medications or that pre-authorization created a hardship. Others talked about the mental anguish of being poor and the stress it causes on their daily lives.
Showing posts with label OWF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OWF. Show all posts
Jul 15, 2008
Feb 28, 2008
News Coverage of "Don't Turn Away, Ohio"
Links to the local newspaper coverage of our "Don't Turn Away, Ohio" news conference:
The Athens Messenger
The Athens News
The Athens Messenger
The Athens News
Feb 27, 2008
Don’t Turn Away, Ohio
It is uncomfortable to face up to, but in our efforts to turn around Ohio, we cannot continue to turn away from our communities’ most severe problems and from the poorest of the poor among us. Families and individuals dealing with serious financial issues; problems caused by domestic violence; addiction or mental health problems are unfortunate realities that don’t go away even if they are ignored. Our goal must be to help people through these situations. While challenging even in the best of times, recent failures by the state and federal governments have made accomplishing this goal significantly more difficult. The failure on the part of government to ensure that all families have sufficient income to meet their basic human needs of food, clothing, and shelter has caused holes in the financial safety net to steadily worsen over the years. Our government’s failure to prioritize the needs of the poorest of the poor is causing increased hardships among those least suited to survive them.
Simultaneously, other challenges facing many of these same families are growing worse as a result of insufficient support for basic child welfare, mental health and substance abuse programs. These issues are bound together. It is virtually impossible to resolve many of the behavioral health issues families are facing when they must focus all of their energy on simply surviving. We must place a greater priority on financial resources for the poorest of the poor. We understand that, in these difficult economic times, many working poor families are struggling and need assistance. We certainly support all efforts to provide as much as we possibly can to aid these families. But we feel very strongly that support should not come at the expense of those who are still even poorer and have even fewer services available.
Therefore, we are calling on the Governor and the Ohio General Assembly to support the following:
• Public assistance benefits offered through the Ohio Works First program should be increased by $100 per month as previously proposed by Representative Jimmy Stewart. Currently, the average family receives a combined income of cash and Food Stamps at roughly 50% of the poverty level.
• Health care services must be available to all adults who earn less than 100% of the federal poverty level. Individuals who are not eligible for Medicaid lack the capacity to provide themselves with essential health care and, as a result, cause serious problems that affect the rest of the family, including their children.
• Mental health and substance abuse services must be available to all adults and children below the poverty level. Families dealing with these issues often have their treatment jeopardized by a lack of basic human needs. Personal and financial recovery must proceed together.
• The disability determination process must be fixed. With two separate systems (Medicaid and Social Security) to navigate, disabled people waste many months or years trying to get the help they need. Meanwhile, they suffer without much needed health care and income.
The failure of Ohio to deal effectively with these issues has created serious and unnecessary hardships for poor families and individuals. We have created an overwhelming demand for emergency food and housing services which continues to grow. Untreated mental health and substance abuse problems decimate already poor families. The ability of these individuals to obtain or retain employment is greatly challenged by inadequate health and behavioral health services.
We call upon the President and Congress to address the federal issues related to this problem:
• Food Stamp benefits are too low. Food Stamp benefits must be increased to meet 100% of the nutritional needs of poor families and the minimum benefit level should increase from $10 to $100 a month. Currently, Food Stamps are intended to provide about 75% of a family's nutritional needs. The presumption is that people could make up the difference with their cash. With stagnant income levels for the poor and the increased cost of living, this is not possible. The end result overwhelms our food pantries and soup kitchens.
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits are too low and therefore need to be increased substantially. SSI payments for the elderly and disabled in Ohio average $430 a month or about 55% of the federal poverty level. The maximum payment is $637 per month or 75% of the federal poverty level. These people cannot work, yet we force them to live with the constant struggle to meet their basic needs.
We call upon our state and federal elected representatives to not turn away from these serious problems. We must take immediate action. This is already a crisis for the people affected by these issues.
$100 a Month OWF Grant Increase
There are 125,000 children who depend on the Ohio Works First TANF-funded cash assistance program. These families are very poor. We spend a great deal of money, time and effort through our local County Department of Job and Family Services offices to prove that families receiving OWF assistance don’t have other resources and comply with all program work requirements and time limits. After all this, we give them only about half of the money we know they need to live on. There is no doubt that this has caused many hardships for these children and their families.
We provide a typical OWF family with about $320 a month in cash and $280 in Food Stamps. This does not meet their basic needs. Ohio has developed the largest balance of unspent TANF funds in the nation because we are unwilling to provide a decent level of assistance for these kids.
The Governor’s budget calls for a “cost of living adjustment” in January of 2009, at a cost of $4.6 million. For a family of three, this equates to roughly a 3% increase, or about $10 a month. These children will clearly be much worse off in a year than they are now. Although the Governor’s budget does a lot to help children, it does not help our poorest children.
Health Care for All Adults below the Poverty Level
Much has been said during recent years about the state of health care and its availability. Some feel health care is a basic need and should be universally available regardless of socioeconomic status. Others disagree, calling such an approach “socialized medicine,” thus politicizing the process and making the issue a heated debate. No matter which side of that ideological fence one chooses, it is undeniable that those with health insurance, and thus access to health care, live a different lifestyle that those without it. Many Americans are facing tough choices about whether to take medicine that enables them to live in better health or to feed their families. The basic medical procedures that many of us take for granted are being denied to people who do not have insurance, as health care facilities often will not even attend to an uninsured patient. Additionally, the poor cannot afford to practice preventive medicine. Medicaid and Medicare help children, the elderly and those who are disabled. The OWF program provides health care for some adults, but many poor parents and other adults are not eligible for Medicaid and can’t afford health services.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for All Poor Adults
We must increase access to mental health and substance abuse services for all adults who need services and live below the federal poverty level. With state funding cuts and the increased need to provide local funds for Medicaid match, services to non-Medicaid adults are extremely limited. Medicaid primarily serves elderly, disabled or child clients. Other poor adults are covered only in very limited circumstances. As a result, many are not eligible for Medicaid funded behavioral health services.
This creates a dual challenge to recovery and treatment. Much needed counseling or support services are limited or not available and the adult is left struggling with the day-to-day challenge of meeting their basic human needs.
The impact of untreated mental health or substance abuse issues goes far beyond the individual to affect the whole family and community in general. The state must fund adequate behavioral health services for everyone below the poverty level.
Social Security Disability and SSI Denials
We must reform the disability determination process. The majority of applicants for Social Security Disability or SSI are denied at the time of their initial application. Although 60% of all applicants who appeal an initially denied claim are eventually approved for disability benefits, the 1.5-2.5 year process can have devastating affects on them and their families. Not only are their financial futures in jeopardy, but so is there personal health. Despite their best efforts, they are unable to meet the basic needs of their families.
Waiting more than a year to receive benefits puts an additional strain on already hurting families. The number of backlogged cases is continuing to rise. Unless this issue is addressed, disabled workers who have paid into a system they thought they could depend on will continue to be let down, and the wait will only continue to grow.
Many people have lost their homes, and some their lives, while waiting to receive benefits. These people put their faith into a system that was supposed to help. The system has failed them and could fail thousands more if immediate, effective changes are not made. We must take adequate steps to reduce the number of initially denied applicants.
Overlooking the Basics
Policymakers have cited the importance of early childhood intervention in preparing children for a successful education. Numerous studies have documented the importance of providing children with a variety of education, childcare and parenting programs to help accomplish this goal. Unfortunately, the most important factor in promoting a child’s readiness and success in school is often overlooked or ignored: a safe, stable and secure family.
Programs that address education and child care will not work for families or children who do not have their basic needs met first. Children who are facing continual chaotic or stressful lives due to extreme poverty in their families will not thrive no matter how much their school or daycare improves. By having policies that assure that hundreds of thousands of children will spend time in households that can’t meet their basic needs, we are undermining the potential success of our early childhood intervention efforts.
We must provide sufficient benefits through our safety net programs to meet all basic needs for these families. Below are comments from studies on child care, school readiness and brain development. They all emphasize the prime importance of a safe, secure, and stable family as a prerequisite for success:
“The major providers of early childhood experience are parents. Programs to support and strengthen the family will increase the likelihood of optimal childhood experiences.”
Child Trauma Academy. http://www.childtrauma.org/. How Experiences in Early Childhood Create a Healthy Society.
“In marked contrast to the child-care effects just described, parenting quality significantly predicted all the developmental outcomes and much more strongly than did any of the child-care predictors.”
Belsky, Jay; Vandell, Deborah Lowe; Burchinal, Margaret; Clarke-Stewart, K. Alison; McCartney, Kathleen; Owen, Margaret Tresch. The NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2007). Are There Long-Term Effects of Early Child Care? Child Development, March/April 2007, Volume 78, Number 2, pages 693.
“The family plays the most important role in a young child’s life. Public policies should seek to support families in this role and to expand parents’ options for the care, health, and education of their children.”
National Governors Association. Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness. Building the Foundation for Bright Futures, page 1. Found at: http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0501TaskForceReadiness.pdf, last accessed January 3, 2008.
“Responsibility for school readiness lies not with children, but with the adults who care for them and the systems that support them. Public policies should seek to provide comprehensive information, resources, and support to all who are responsible for children’s development.”
National Governors Association. Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness. Building the Foundation for Bright Futures, page 1. Found at: http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0501TaskForceReadiness.pdf, last accessed January 3, 2008.
“The NGA Task Force on School Readiness believes that the family plays the most important role in a young child’s life. Parents have the primary responsibility for nurturing, teaching, and providing for their children. It is the relationship between parent and child that is the most critical for the positive development of children. Children need supportive, nurturing environments. However, the new economy has brought changes in the workforce and in family life. These changes are causing financial, physical, and emotional stresses in families, particularly low-income families… Consequently, the role of parents and the condition of families should be central concerns for policymakers interested in promoting school readiness.”
National Governors Association. Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness. Building the Foundation for Bright Futures, page 7. Found at: http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0501TaskForceReadiness.pdf, last accessed January 3, 2008.
“Parents play a primary role in the development of their children. Children who experience sensitive, responsive care from a parent perform better academically and emotionally in the early elementary years. At the same time, not surprisingly, financial and emotional stresses negatively impact parents’ well-being and adversely affect their attentiveness and sensitivity to their children. For children who receive most of their care from a parent in the home, it seems clear that providing families with the resources, information, and tools they need is an appropriate approach for promoting school readiness.”
National Governors Association. Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness. Building the Foundation for Bright Futures, page 13. Found at: http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0501TaskForceReadiness.pdf, last accessed January 3, 2008.
The above recommendations are endorsed by the following:
Athens-Hocking-Vinton 317 Board
Earl Cecil, Executive Director
http://www.317board.org/
Athens County Job and Family Services
Jack Frech, Director
http://jfs.athenscountygovernment.com/
Athens County Children Services
Andrea Reik, Director
http://www.athenschildrenservices.com/
Hocking County Job and Family Services
Robert Smith, Director
350 State Route 664 North
P.O. Box 548
Logan, Ohio 43138-0548
Hocking County Children Services
Julie Mogavero, Director
93 West Hunter Street
Logan, Ohio 43138
Vinton County Job and Family Services & Children Services
Jody Walker, Director
30975 Industry Park Drive
McArthur, Ohio 45651
Simultaneously, other challenges facing many of these same families are growing worse as a result of insufficient support for basic child welfare, mental health and substance abuse programs. These issues are bound together. It is virtually impossible to resolve many of the behavioral health issues families are facing when they must focus all of their energy on simply surviving. We must place a greater priority on financial resources for the poorest of the poor. We understand that, in these difficult economic times, many working poor families are struggling and need assistance. We certainly support all efforts to provide as much as we possibly can to aid these families. But we feel very strongly that support should not come at the expense of those who are still even poorer and have even fewer services available.
Therefore, we are calling on the Governor and the Ohio General Assembly to support the following:
• Public assistance benefits offered through the Ohio Works First program should be increased by $100 per month as previously proposed by Representative Jimmy Stewart. Currently, the average family receives a combined income of cash and Food Stamps at roughly 50% of the poverty level.
• Health care services must be available to all adults who earn less than 100% of the federal poverty level. Individuals who are not eligible for Medicaid lack the capacity to provide themselves with essential health care and, as a result, cause serious problems that affect the rest of the family, including their children.
• Mental health and substance abuse services must be available to all adults and children below the poverty level. Families dealing with these issues often have their treatment jeopardized by a lack of basic human needs. Personal and financial recovery must proceed together.
• The disability determination process must be fixed. With two separate systems (Medicaid and Social Security) to navigate, disabled people waste many months or years trying to get the help they need. Meanwhile, they suffer without much needed health care and income.
The failure of Ohio to deal effectively with these issues has created serious and unnecessary hardships for poor families and individuals. We have created an overwhelming demand for emergency food and housing services which continues to grow. Untreated mental health and substance abuse problems decimate already poor families. The ability of these individuals to obtain or retain employment is greatly challenged by inadequate health and behavioral health services.
We call upon the President and Congress to address the federal issues related to this problem:
• Food Stamp benefits are too low. Food Stamp benefits must be increased to meet 100% of the nutritional needs of poor families and the minimum benefit level should increase from $10 to $100 a month. Currently, Food Stamps are intended to provide about 75% of a family's nutritional needs. The presumption is that people could make up the difference with their cash. With stagnant income levels for the poor and the increased cost of living, this is not possible. The end result overwhelms our food pantries and soup kitchens.
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits are too low and therefore need to be increased substantially. SSI payments for the elderly and disabled in Ohio average $430 a month or about 55% of the federal poverty level. The maximum payment is $637 per month or 75% of the federal poverty level. These people cannot work, yet we force them to live with the constant struggle to meet their basic needs.
We call upon our state and federal elected representatives to not turn away from these serious problems. We must take immediate action. This is already a crisis for the people affected by these issues.
$100 a Month OWF Grant Increase
There are 125,000 children who depend on the Ohio Works First TANF-funded cash assistance program. These families are very poor. We spend a great deal of money, time and effort through our local County Department of Job and Family Services offices to prove that families receiving OWF assistance don’t have other resources and comply with all program work requirements and time limits. After all this, we give them only about half of the money we know they need to live on. There is no doubt that this has caused many hardships for these children and their families.
We provide a typical OWF family with about $320 a month in cash and $280 in Food Stamps. This does not meet their basic needs. Ohio has developed the largest balance of unspent TANF funds in the nation because we are unwilling to provide a decent level of assistance for these kids.
The Governor’s budget calls for a “cost of living adjustment” in January of 2009, at a cost of $4.6 million. For a family of three, this equates to roughly a 3% increase, or about $10 a month. These children will clearly be much worse off in a year than they are now. Although the Governor’s budget does a lot to help children, it does not help our poorest children.
Health Care for All Adults below the Poverty Level
Much has been said during recent years about the state of health care and its availability. Some feel health care is a basic need and should be universally available regardless of socioeconomic status. Others disagree, calling such an approach “socialized medicine,” thus politicizing the process and making the issue a heated debate. No matter which side of that ideological fence one chooses, it is undeniable that those with health insurance, and thus access to health care, live a different lifestyle that those without it. Many Americans are facing tough choices about whether to take medicine that enables them to live in better health or to feed their families. The basic medical procedures that many of us take for granted are being denied to people who do not have insurance, as health care facilities often will not even attend to an uninsured patient. Additionally, the poor cannot afford to practice preventive medicine. Medicaid and Medicare help children, the elderly and those who are disabled. The OWF program provides health care for some adults, but many poor parents and other adults are not eligible for Medicaid and can’t afford health services.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for All Poor Adults
We must increase access to mental health and substance abuse services for all adults who need services and live below the federal poverty level. With state funding cuts and the increased need to provide local funds for Medicaid match, services to non-Medicaid adults are extremely limited. Medicaid primarily serves elderly, disabled or child clients. Other poor adults are covered only in very limited circumstances. As a result, many are not eligible for Medicaid funded behavioral health services.
This creates a dual challenge to recovery and treatment. Much needed counseling or support services are limited or not available and the adult is left struggling with the day-to-day challenge of meeting their basic human needs.
The impact of untreated mental health or substance abuse issues goes far beyond the individual to affect the whole family and community in general. The state must fund adequate behavioral health services for everyone below the poverty level.
Social Security Disability and SSI Denials
We must reform the disability determination process. The majority of applicants for Social Security Disability or SSI are denied at the time of their initial application. Although 60% of all applicants who appeal an initially denied claim are eventually approved for disability benefits, the 1.5-2.5 year process can have devastating affects on them and their families. Not only are their financial futures in jeopardy, but so is there personal health. Despite their best efforts, they are unable to meet the basic needs of their families.
Waiting more than a year to receive benefits puts an additional strain on already hurting families. The number of backlogged cases is continuing to rise. Unless this issue is addressed, disabled workers who have paid into a system they thought they could depend on will continue to be let down, and the wait will only continue to grow.
Many people have lost their homes, and some their lives, while waiting to receive benefits. These people put their faith into a system that was supposed to help. The system has failed them and could fail thousands more if immediate, effective changes are not made. We must take adequate steps to reduce the number of initially denied applicants.
Overlooking the Basics
Policymakers have cited the importance of early childhood intervention in preparing children for a successful education. Numerous studies have documented the importance of providing children with a variety of education, childcare and parenting programs to help accomplish this goal. Unfortunately, the most important factor in promoting a child’s readiness and success in school is often overlooked or ignored: a safe, stable and secure family.
Programs that address education and child care will not work for families or children who do not have their basic needs met first. Children who are facing continual chaotic or stressful lives due to extreme poverty in their families will not thrive no matter how much their school or daycare improves. By having policies that assure that hundreds of thousands of children will spend time in households that can’t meet their basic needs, we are undermining the potential success of our early childhood intervention efforts.
We must provide sufficient benefits through our safety net programs to meet all basic needs for these families. Below are comments from studies on child care, school readiness and brain development. They all emphasize the prime importance of a safe, secure, and stable family as a prerequisite for success:
“The major providers of early childhood experience are parents. Programs to support and strengthen the family will increase the likelihood of optimal childhood experiences.”
Child Trauma Academy. http://www.childtrauma.org/. How Experiences in Early Childhood Create a Healthy Society.
“In marked contrast to the child-care effects just described, parenting quality significantly predicted all the developmental outcomes and much more strongly than did any of the child-care predictors.”
Belsky, Jay; Vandell, Deborah Lowe; Burchinal, Margaret; Clarke-Stewart, K. Alison; McCartney, Kathleen; Owen, Margaret Tresch. The NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2007). Are There Long-Term Effects of Early Child Care? Child Development, March/April 2007, Volume 78, Number 2, pages 693.
“The family plays the most important role in a young child’s life. Public policies should seek to support families in this role and to expand parents’ options for the care, health, and education of their children.”
National Governors Association. Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness. Building the Foundation for Bright Futures, page 1. Found at: http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0501TaskForceReadiness.pdf, last accessed January 3, 2008.
“Responsibility for school readiness lies not with children, but with the adults who care for them and the systems that support them. Public policies should seek to provide comprehensive information, resources, and support to all who are responsible for children’s development.”
National Governors Association. Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness. Building the Foundation for Bright Futures, page 1. Found at: http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0501TaskForceReadiness.pdf, last accessed January 3, 2008.
“The NGA Task Force on School Readiness believes that the family plays the most important role in a young child’s life. Parents have the primary responsibility for nurturing, teaching, and providing for their children. It is the relationship between parent and child that is the most critical for the positive development of children. Children need supportive, nurturing environments. However, the new economy has brought changes in the workforce and in family life. These changes are causing financial, physical, and emotional stresses in families, particularly low-income families… Consequently, the role of parents and the condition of families should be central concerns for policymakers interested in promoting school readiness.”
National Governors Association. Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness. Building the Foundation for Bright Futures, page 7. Found at: http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0501TaskForceReadiness.pdf, last accessed January 3, 2008.
“Parents play a primary role in the development of their children. Children who experience sensitive, responsive care from a parent perform better academically and emotionally in the early elementary years. At the same time, not surprisingly, financial and emotional stresses negatively impact parents’ well-being and adversely affect their attentiveness and sensitivity to their children. For children who receive most of their care from a parent in the home, it seems clear that providing families with the resources, information, and tools they need is an appropriate approach for promoting school readiness.”
National Governors Association. Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness. Building the Foundation for Bright Futures, page 13. Found at: http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0501TaskForceReadiness.pdf, last accessed January 3, 2008.
The above recommendations are endorsed by the following:
Athens-Hocking-Vinton 317 Board
Earl Cecil, Executive Director
http://www.317board.org/
Athens County Job and Family Services
Jack Frech, Director
http://jfs.athenscountygovernment.com/
Athens County Children Services
Andrea Reik, Director
http://www.athenschildrenservices.com/
Hocking County Job and Family Services
Robert Smith, Director
350 State Route 664 North
P.O. Box 548
Logan, Ohio 43138-0548
Hocking County Children Services
Julie Mogavero, Director
93 West Hunter Street
Logan, Ohio 43138
Vinton County Job and Family Services & Children Services
Jody Walker, Director
30975 Industry Park Drive
McArthur, Ohio 45651
Oct 23, 2007
SCHIP and Ohio's Poorest
SCHIP, established in title XXI of the Social Security Act, allows states to provide health care coverage to uninsured children up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). The stated intent of Congress when it established the program in 1997, was to expand coverage beyond those who were poor to "targeted low-income" children–-which meant those above Medicaid's eligibility requirements and in uninsured households up to 200 percent FPL.
Most recently the U.S. House and the Senate approved the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIPRA), to reauthorize SCHIP. Under CHIPRA, eligibility would increase up to 300 percent FPL and would include expanded outreach to enroll those currently eligible but not enrolled. However, the act was vetoed by the President on October 3, 2007. The full text of CHIPRA is available here.
Note: in government definitions, generally “poor” is below the 100 percent FPL and "low-income/working poor" is 100 percent to 200 percent FPL. For more on poverty guidelines and measurements, click here.
Here’s a look at the Federal Poverty Levels are in terms of family size and household annual income:
People----100%FPL-----200%FPL-----300% FPL
----1-------$ 10,210-------$ 20,420-------$ 30,630
----2-------$ 13,690-------$ 27,380-------$ 41,070
----3-------$ 17,170-------$ 34,340-------$ 51,510
----4-------$ 20,650-------$ 41,300-------$ 61,950
----5-------$ 24,130-------$ 48,260-------$ 72,390
----6-------$ 27,610-------$ 55,220-------$ 82,830
When we look at this struggle over CHIPRA, we agree that no child should be without health insurance. At the same time, we are trying to understand why the country is not more focused on the basic needs of our poorest citizens first. We have many children and families living below poverty, and even with the help of public assistance programs, they are unable to meet their basic needs to live day to day. Shouldn’t our priority be to our poorest citizens first? Where is the time and energy to focus on those who have the least?
In Ohio alone, 130,000 children are on the cash assistance program, Ohio Works First (OWF), which is funded by the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (federal welfare dollars). A typical family of two on the Ohio Works First cash assistance program receives only $336 a month in cash and a maximum of $284 in Food Stamps. How many people do you know that can live on only $620 a month? This amount is $521 a month below poverty – around 50 percent of the FPL. This means that these families must make difficult choices between the necessities of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and other basic needs.
In our report, Ohio’s Poorest Children, we analyzed the costs of the most basic needs for a typical family of two: housing, utilities, food, and transportation. Health care was not included since these families would be covered by Medicaid.
Monthly Cost of Basic Needs for Family of Two:
Rent $613; Utilities $227; Food $248; Transportation $250 = Total $1,338
Looking at the very basic needs, we came to a minimum of $1,338 per month. This total doesn’t even begin to factor in other basic needs such as: first aid supplies (band-aids, over the counter medicines), school fees, cleaning supplies, paper products (toilet paper, tissues), personal hygiene products (soap, shampoo, hair brush, tooth brushes, toothpaste, feminine products), clothing (socks, underwear, coats, shoes), diapers, unexpected emergencies and more.
(For an even more in depth analysis of poverty, take a look at our report:An in-depth look at the issues of poverty.
Shouldn’t meeting basic needs of our nation’s most needy people (children and adults) be the FIRST priority for funding at the federal, state and local levels?
[where: Athens, Ohio 45701]
Most recently the U.S. House and the Senate approved the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIPRA), to reauthorize SCHIP. Under CHIPRA, eligibility would increase up to 300 percent FPL and would include expanded outreach to enroll those currently eligible but not enrolled. However, the act was vetoed by the President on October 3, 2007. The full text of CHIPRA is available here.
Note: in government definitions, generally “poor” is below the 100 percent FPL and "low-income/working poor" is 100 percent to 200 percent FPL. For more on poverty guidelines and measurements, click here.
Here’s a look at the Federal Poverty Levels are in terms of family size and household annual income:
People----100%FPL-----200%FPL-----300% FPL
----1-------$ 10,210-------$ 20,420-------$ 30,630
----2-------$ 13,690-------$ 27,380-------$ 41,070
----3-------$ 17,170-------$ 34,340-------$ 51,510
----4-------$ 20,650-------$ 41,300-------$ 61,950
----5-------$ 24,130-------$ 48,260-------$ 72,390
----6-------$ 27,610-------$ 55,220-------$ 82,830
When we look at this struggle over CHIPRA, we agree that no child should be without health insurance. At the same time, we are trying to understand why the country is not more focused on the basic needs of our poorest citizens first. We have many children and families living below poverty, and even with the help of public assistance programs, they are unable to meet their basic needs to live day to day. Shouldn’t our priority be to our poorest citizens first? Where is the time and energy to focus on those who have the least?
In Ohio alone, 130,000 children are on the cash assistance program, Ohio Works First (OWF), which is funded by the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (federal welfare dollars). A typical family of two on the Ohio Works First cash assistance program receives only $336 a month in cash and a maximum of $284 in Food Stamps. How many people do you know that can live on only $620 a month? This amount is $521 a month below poverty – around 50 percent of the FPL. This means that these families must make difficult choices between the necessities of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and other basic needs.
In our report, Ohio’s Poorest Children, we analyzed the costs of the most basic needs for a typical family of two: housing, utilities, food, and transportation. Health care was not included since these families would be covered by Medicaid.
Monthly Cost of Basic Needs for Family of Two:
Rent $613; Utilities $227; Food $248; Transportation $250 = Total $1,338
Looking at the very basic needs, we came to a minimum of $1,338 per month. This total doesn’t even begin to factor in other basic needs such as: first aid supplies (band-aids, over the counter medicines), school fees, cleaning supplies, paper products (toilet paper, tissues), personal hygiene products (soap, shampoo, hair brush, tooth brushes, toothpaste, feminine products), clothing (socks, underwear, coats, shoes), diapers, unexpected emergencies and more.
(For an even more in depth analysis of poverty, take a look at our report:An in-depth look at the issues of poverty.
Shouldn’t meeting basic needs of our nation’s most needy people (children and adults) be the FIRST priority for funding at the federal, state and local levels?
[where: Athens, Ohio 45701]
Jul 5, 2007
Squeezing Blood from a Turnip, Part Two
As a follow up to the June 25 post, here's a little more information about businesses that target low-income families and potential alternatives that can save a lot of money. (For a recap of how we got on this topic, check out this Business Week article.)
Taxes
Similar to a payday loan, instant tax returns from tax preparation companies can be an enticing and quick way to get back money. Low-income workers are often entitled to the Earned Income Tax Credit and can get a pretty substantial amount of money back—but if they get their refunds instantly rather than waiting a week or two, they can incur substantial fees. One available alternative for people who just need to file simple 1040 forms is the Athens Fast & Free Tax Assistance Center, operated by Job & Family Services. All Athens County residents, no matter their income, can get their taxes done for free from this service. With E-Filing, returns come back in as little as a week—and you get your ENTIRE return, with no fees deducted.
Appliances
Another need that often arises in low-income families is for furniture and appliances. A $700 refrigerator is almost always out of the question when income barely covers rent and food, so paying $17.99 a week for a Hotspot refrigerator from Rent-2-Own seems like the only reasonable measure. Compare the refrigerator's posted retail price of $709.99 the total 78 weeks of $17.99 payments you'll make, though, and it's not so much of a deal: $1403.22. That's just under double what that refrigerator is worth.
Rent-2-Own's slogan is "Because we should all have nice stuff." This clearly encourages those who can least afford it to live beyond their means. Yes, in an ideal world, it would be great if we could all have leather recliners and dishwashers—but in the real world, where we don't all even have food on the table every night, it's ludicrous to encourage people to buy what they really can't afford.
The alternatives aren't always easy, but that's the way life is for low-income families. Thrift stores such as ReUse Industries and New to You are often inundated with furniture—especially futons, after the students move out at the beginning of summer. It may not be a pine bunk bed, but it's somewhere for your kids to sleep that doesn't come with the instability of a potential repossession if you can't pay the eight bucks in week 43 of your payment plan. Even local charitable organizations like Good Works offer—with limited resources, nevertheless—the chance for people to volunteer in exchange for furniture and appliances.
Computers are another thing people buy on payment plans at rental stores. Certainly an important tool for homework, job searching and other household uses in the modern age, computers don't come cheap. [Please see comments for a correction regarding this eligibility information. Thanks!]Job & Family Services offers FREE computers, to below households with children at or below 200% of the poverty level and be TANF eligible, which can also mean cooperating with CSEA or pregnant, along with training and a year's internet connection. Since its founding in 2001, the program has provided more than 2,000 computers to local households.
The BW article describes the increasing struggle low-income families are experiencing more and more across the country, and Athens certainly isn't immune from this problem. There are few easy answers for alleviating this problem, but it starts with a need for financial literacy and an increased awareness of just what strings are attached to seemingly great offers.
Taxes
Similar to a payday loan, instant tax returns from tax preparation companies can be an enticing and quick way to get back money. Low-income workers are often entitled to the Earned Income Tax Credit and can get a pretty substantial amount of money back—but if they get their refunds instantly rather than waiting a week or two, they can incur substantial fees. One available alternative for people who just need to file simple 1040 forms is the Athens Fast & Free Tax Assistance Center, operated by Job & Family Services. All Athens County residents, no matter their income, can get their taxes done for free from this service. With E-Filing, returns come back in as little as a week—and you get your ENTIRE return, with no fees deducted.
Appliances
Another need that often arises in low-income families is for furniture and appliances. A $700 refrigerator is almost always out of the question when income barely covers rent and food, so paying $17.99 a week for a Hotspot refrigerator from Rent-2-Own seems like the only reasonable measure. Compare the refrigerator's posted retail price of $709.99 the total 78 weeks of $17.99 payments you'll make, though, and it's not so much of a deal: $1403.22. That's just under double what that refrigerator is worth.
Rent-2-Own's slogan is "Because we should all have nice stuff." This clearly encourages those who can least afford it to live beyond their means. Yes, in an ideal world, it would be great if we could all have leather recliners and dishwashers—but in the real world, where we don't all even have food on the table every night, it's ludicrous to encourage people to buy what they really can't afford.
The alternatives aren't always easy, but that's the way life is for low-income families. Thrift stores such as ReUse Industries and New to You are often inundated with furniture—especially futons, after the students move out at the beginning of summer. It may not be a pine bunk bed, but it's somewhere for your kids to sleep that doesn't come with the instability of a potential repossession if you can't pay the eight bucks in week 43 of your payment plan. Even local charitable organizations like Good Works offer—with limited resources, nevertheless—the chance for people to volunteer in exchange for furniture and appliances.
Computers are another thing people buy on payment plans at rental stores. Certainly an important tool for homework, job searching and other household uses in the modern age, computers don't come cheap. [Please see comments for a correction regarding this eligibility information. Thanks!]Job & Family Services offers FREE computers, to below households with children at or below 200% of the poverty level and be TANF eligible, which can also mean cooperating with CSEA or pregnant, along with training and a year's internet connection. Since its founding in 2001, the program has provided more than 2,000 computers to local households.
The BW article describes the increasing struggle low-income families are experiencing more and more across the country, and Athens certainly isn't immune from this problem. There are few easy answers for alleviating this problem, but it starts with a need for financial literacy and an increased awareness of just what strings are attached to seemingly great offers.
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