The New York Times published the following letter from NASW-NYC on Sunday, October 28 calling for a moratorium on time limits for people on welfare. An editorial addressing this issue appeared on October 25 and also appears below.
NASW Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
Since we are currently witnessing the greatest outpouring of altruism in our country's history, it strikes us as tragic that 50,000 of New York State's poorest residents will have their cash welfare benefits terminated in December (editorial, Oct. 25).
A hundred thousand jobs have been lost, and the economy is facing a serious recession. Are we to expect that moving people off welfare now will have a benign effect on their lives?
We fear that terminating benefits will result in destabilizing families, increasing homelessness and adding to the foster care rolls. Given the cooperation between the city, the state and the federal government in light of the disaster, it is reasonable to expect our elected leaders to find a way to put a moratorium on welfare time limits. Calling for a smoother transition to a so-called safety-net program is simply not adequate.
ROBERT S. SCHACHTER
New York, Oct. 25, 2001
The writer is executive director,
National Association of Social Workers,
New York City Chapter.
New York Times Editorial
Time Runs Out on Welfare
October 25, 2001
About 50,000 New York families will reach the five-year federal limit for cash welfare benefits in December, and become eligible for a last-ditch state safety net. At a time when America is being battered by a slowing economy and terrorist scares, the state is in a poor position to do an in-depth screening of all these cases. The best approach, for both the government and the families, is to make the short-term transition as easy as possible.
New York is one of a few states whose constitutions require them to take care of poor families after federal welfare benefits have expired. The program covers rent and utilities, along with a small cash payment. Even legislators who wrote the state welfare law thought people who reached the limit would be transferred automatically to state benefits that are meant to keep the poorest citizens from going hungry or losing their homes. Instead, state welfare officials have ordered recipients to apply for safety-net funds in person, suggesting that those who do not pass muster will be penalized.
The state sees this as an innocuous process in which welfare recipients fill out a simple application. But people almost always fall out of the computers when they are required to reapply for eligibility. And this is not a good time to herd tens of thousands of people into welfare offices, while the system is jammed with New Yorkers who are applying for help in an economic downturn.
The state should move welfare recipients onto the safety net right away and sort out issues of long-term eligibility carefully at a later date. That could be taken care of during the twice-yearly recertification sessions that welfare recipients are already required to attend.
The 50,000 families that will hit the five-year time limit in December are difficult cases. More than 50 percent have been continuously on welfare for 10 years or more, suggesting deep-seated problems that make them tough candidates for job placement. If their benefits are cut off even temporarily, many are likely to fall into homelessness.
Most of the families at risk live in New York City, where the terrorist attack damaged the computer network that manages welfare, Medicaid and food stamp cases, slowing down the system. The confusion is bound to get worse as the economy declines and more people apply for services.
The state has a great deal to be proud of in the way it has carried out welfare reform. Right now it needs to take care not to place its most vulnerable citizens at risk. New York has enough to worry about without creating trauma unnecessarily.