BREAD FOR THE WORLD
Congress must renew and revise the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in September 2002. TANF, which has been in existence since 1996, requires welfare recipients to move quickly from welfare to work and severely limits the assistance they may receive while making the transition. Unfortunately, many people leaving welfare find it hard to succeed in the workforce because they lack skills, education, transportation, childcare and other supports. If aid is cut off before they have time to achieve self-sufficiency, their families can be thrown into severe poverty. Education and training are crucial to continuing employment and to any advancement. However, currently TANF recipients can receive benefits for only 12 months of vocational training and states are only allowed to have 30% of their caseload in vocational training at any given time. In most states, degree programs beyond high school are not possible for TANF recipients, making it difficult for workers to compete in the employment market. Now that the U.S. economy is slowing, former welfare recipients will find it even harder to obtain and keep jobs. Usually low-wage, entry-level jobs are the first to be eliminated. Oregon has one of the highest rates of unemployment, so those needing assistance are growing. In February, for example, our local FISH pantry gave 565 families food, feeding 2028 people in the county. Making it even harder, TANF requires that after five years of being in the program any assistance will be cut off.
TANF was successful in moving people off welfare, but Bread for the World believes that poverty reduction is more important than caseload reduction, and that the TANF bill passed in September should include more safeguards for poor people. In spite of the booming economy in the 1900's the level of poverty remains very high. The most recent data show that 31 million people, including 12 million children, live in homes that are hungry or are at risk of hunger.
Please write to our representatives in Washington and express your concern.
Addresses for our Oregon elected officials:
Senator. Gordon Smith, 404 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 |
Senator Ron Wyden, 516 Hart Senate Ofc Bldg, Washington, DC 20510 |
Rep Peter DeFazio, 2134 Rayburn House Ofc Bldg, Washington, DC 20515 |