The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare recently proposed regulations that would cut supportive services payments to families moving from welfare to work. These payments, called special allowances, allow families receiving TANF or SNAP (food stamp) benefits to obtain employment, education, or training. DPW’s proposed regulations are worrisome. In its quest to save $6 million per year, DPW will make it much more difficult for families to obtain the education and training they need to permanently move out of poverty.
Community Legal Services submitted detailed objections [pdf] urging DPW to withdraw these proposed regulations.
Current TANF grants pay less than one-third of the poverty line. A family of three, for example, receives only $403 per month in most Pennsylvania counties. This is simply not enough to pay the costs of transportation, books, school supplies and other work supports that families face when trying to better themselves and move off of welfare.
Among other things, DPW’s proposed regulations would impose low and arbitrary limits on the special allowances that a family might receive. For example, an individual would only be able to receive $2,000 in her lifetime to spend on books and school supplies, and $1,500 per year on transportation If a parent reaches the maximum payment for transportation or books and supplies, she may be forced to abandon her education or training, quit a job, or stop looking for work. These arbitrary limits will prevent many people from making enough money to leave welfare behind.
It appears that DPW’s main goal is to save money at the expense of the poorest Pennsylvanians – even at the risk of preventing those families from gaining education or jobs enabling them to escape poverty. Read the rest of this entry »