What is welfare?

11/25/2011

My mission for the next month, between now and Christmas, is to dispel myths and educate people about what welfare really is. By welfare I mean both bottom-line survival programs like food stamps, Medicaid, and housing; and broader social programs that seek to provide a bridge from poverty to self-sufficiency.

There is so much misunderstanding right now about what these programs are, how they are paid for, what their goals are, how their effectiveness is measured and what liberals/Democrats want for the future of the safety net. I will address these myths and assumptions over the next month - I would LOVE to hear from you now about it before I get started. What are your questions, opinions, hopes and concerns about government-funded social programs?

Private enterprise
and government
can work together
to eradicate poverty
in the US.

9 Comments

Danna

11/25/2011 08:25:38 am

In my last 3 years at ASHA, they ran a hotline for the United Way. It was the United Way 211 Service. This is an Information and Referral Service that covers most counties in NC.

Before I worked there, it was always a little suspicious of anyone using Social Services for I had seen people pulling up in brand new Escalades using their EBT cards for food stamps at Food Lion.

Before I go into my dissertation about my personal evolution on that line, I want to say that there were three kinds of callers to this line. 1/3 was people who were abusing the system. It only took a few days on the hotline to identify these callers as they usually knew all of our referrals and had utilized each of them extensively.

Another 1/3 were people who did everything right their entire lives. They worked for 30 years, had enough savings to sustain them through bad times and, perhaps, even gave money to the United Way with what extra they had. But,like many in NC, their factory jobs were sent to China and they were left flat-footed. They'd gone through their savings and houses were being foreclosed upon and out of desperation, were calling us looking for any way to keep them and their families out of the already overcrowded shelters.

The last 1/3 were people who had some sort of medical catastrophe. Some had insurance, some did not. Every single call I had with any regard to medical help was simply heartbreaking. Some had maladies that required medical care by a specialist but these doctors would not even see the patients who didn't have insurance.

I finally had to quit this job as I got to the point where I genuinely worried about a lot of the callers and started to worry about my own financial health. Prior to working there, it never occurred to me that we might not make our mortgage payment or have food to eat. Hearing real people tell you their very horrific stories for 8 hours a day is quite the catalyst for examining one's own life.

The second most heart wrenching part of that job was that there were VERY LIMITED resources for every referral. We'll start with the food problem and I should explain how it works. There are Food Banks. These banks are the warehouses that collect the food and then distribute the food to food pantries. Food Pantries are where individuals go to get food. Individuals cannot walk up to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC to get a sandwich. They have to go to Food Pantries.

It was our job to refer people to food pantries. In Wake County, there are about 20 working pantries. However, they all have stringent rules about how often people can get food. Many of the pantries are churches and they make people go to their services before they can get help.

Guilford County is an enigma. There are 2 pantries and you have to prove you live in their zip codes before they give anything and that is only 1 time per month.

Some charities help with utility bill assistance and/or rent assistance but none pay the entire bill. Some will help with 40% of the bill provided they have a promisary note from another charity saying they will pay the remainder of the bill.

My point in this it to explain how the system REALLY works and that the rest of us have no clue what we make the poor go through to get a freaking can of Ensure.

Now for the calls: In a day, an agent would get calls from families who lost a loved one but can't pay for the funeral bill. Where to refer them? NOWHERE. In come counties, Social Services may help but it is only a small percentage of the cost and they only help if the body is creamated.

No one can get help with any kind of dentistry. Once a year, there is charity that comes to certain cities but they never registered with the 211 Service because (they told us) we would refer too many people and there are already more than 1,200 people waiting in line for help. -- Keep in mind that people can die from an abscessed tooth.

Homeless Shelters. FORGET IT. There are long waiting lists for every single shelter. There are no shelters for married people so couples are forced to separate each night (if they can get in). Family shelters - OMFG! They will not take boys over 12. So families with 12 year old (and older) boys cannot utilize them. The family shelters are so overcrowded that when I quit at ASHA, there was a 3 month wait to get into the one (yes, there's only 1) in Wake County.

Also, charitable donations are way down and need is way up so the places that were already struggling are forced to operate on virtually nothing now. A lot of food pantries and shelters have shut down for lack of funds.

There are no referrals in NC for any charity that helps pay for medical bills. I had a lady who needed a steel helmet for her 3 year-old because the baby's head was growing wrong. The helmet was $600 at a discounted rate. I couldn't find anybody to refer her to that would help.

In talking with these people who called me as their last hope, I came to truly understand that they did not want to

Greg Dant

11/25/2011 12:44:28 pm

I have worked with those in poverty for many years through my church and SVDP. We get the poorest of the poor that somehow slip through the cracks. In fact, I specialize in those that for some reason fall below the radar of the organizations. Sometimes it means taking matters into my own hands. Yes, we know more than a few of those that we help are taking aqdvantage of us, but we don't let that stand in the way of helping those in need. I especially have no stomache to see the suffering of children. Those that know me, know that I am an extremely conservative guy. A close friend recently accused me of being a bleeding-heart conservative. My disconnect comes in forcing people to help the poor. I do it because of my faith, not because Uncle Sam says to do it....

Greg Dant

11/26/2011 12:48:51 am

Yikes, I should apologize for all of the typos in that late-night post! I did want to say that another thing that I like about private assistance is that it is possible to move with the speed of lightening. I have never witnessed that from the state (I use that term in its broader meaning). Privately it is possible to evaluate and help someone the very same day, if necessary. If our organization can’t do it, we do it ourselves. It seems to me that the world would be a much better place if each able-bodied person would find just one person a week to help. It does not have to be a faith thing... do it because it will make the world a better place for you and your own family. There are all kinds of things you can do... feed a homeless person (without judging them), visit someone in a hospital or nursing home, help someone find a job (I like doing that best), give someone a few bucks that you know is struggling to keep the heat on, help a troubled kid get a GED, mentor someone. The list is endless. The point is that if we each committed ourselves to helping others, the need for state assistance could be greatly diminished. I'll put my soapbox away now...;-)

Anonymous

11/26/2011 05:27:55 pm

What I know about welfare is that it fed me for a few years when work was scarce in our rural hometown. My mom has never been lazy, but for some reason, couldn't find work. We did not have TV or a car. There was no ice cream or extras, just basic food.
On the other hand, I've been a constant giver of donations to United Way for years. When a close friend who worked two jobs lost one, there was no help to be given and because she still had a part time job, did not qualify for food stamps or assistance.
I think that the system is broken when it fails to serve people that have paid into it.

crystal

11/28/2011 07:23:04 am

ok im just going to write what i think. welfare is necessary! not everyone is educated and able to make it in society, and it is not necessarily their fault. circumstances, upbringing, environment all play a role in who we are as people. so what if working people pay for welfare. not to get religious on you but god wants us to love each other and this is the ultimate love to help those who can't help themselves. do some people abuse the system...of course but that should not be your concern. give and what people do with it they will be held accountable for what they do. i believe that if someone is in need we should do what needs to be done to make sure their needs are met. that's why we have hunger in america because we are so selfish and greedy. there is plenty for everyone to have but because we are all about more more more the less fortunate have to have assistance. i have millions of thoughts going through my head about this, but i will just end now and comment again later.

Julie link

11/29/2011 09:21:26 am

I just posted my second entry in this series, but I wanted to also go back and respond to these thoughtful comments. I'm struck by the fact that what they have in common is being heartfelt. I think that aspect is missing from the national dialogue. I was moved by reading each of these entries.

Crystal this is a wonderful contribution, and like I was saying on facebook, maybe my subsequent posts will help you decide what else to say. What you've written here is very powerful, and I couldn't agree more with every word of it.

Greg, I knew about some of the work you do but this provides even more of a window. I don't think there will ever be enough people doing what you do to replace government programs. Some people won't, probably, but a lot of people just can't. It's amazing that you do so much but one reason I believe so much in social welfare programs is that there's no way we can rely on individual good works to address the glaring needs we have in this country.

To "anonymous", you raise a point I've heard a number of times. People who make "too much", not getting the help they need. It's funny, some complain that these so-called entitlement plans provide too much to too many, but the income requirements are so low that if you come out just above them and don't qualify for assistance, you can truly get stuck in a desperate situation.

Danna, I know you said my blog cut you off :/ and I can see where that happened. But what you did post here is an incredible contribution. Very informative, and very scary. I was depressed just by reading it - I cannot imagine working there everyday. It pretty much makes me sick to think about it. In terms of the 1/3 you identify as abusers of the system, I'll be interested to hear what you think about what I posted today.

Thanks, you all. Please keep posting.

Greg Dant

11/29/2011 09:30:49 am

I know that more than a few of my fellow conservatives might find this heresy, but personally I think that it is inaccurate to describe post secondary educational assistance of any sort as "welfare". This is one area of government assistance where there is a substantial payback to the government through higher tax dollars generated by a lifetime of higher earnings that is typical of college graduates. Another area that I probably disagree with many conservatives is over spending money to educate people that are at high-risk of being incarcerated. Again, it is an established fact that it is cheaper to educate a man than it is to incarcerate him. So, I would submit that the conservative option is to educate that man (or woman). And I am all about accountability to go along with the assistance...

Julie link

11/29/2011 09:35:03 am

Greg if you keep this up I'm going to have to find someone else to argue with! I trust you will find fault with my new post though :) Check out entry # 2 in the series.

Greg Dant

11/29/2011 09:59:37 am

Julie, I would suggest that everyone can do something, even if it is simply to be kind to others (that costs nothing) or simply to pray (for those who are religious). I'm not suggesting that private organizations could ever replace all government programs, but we sure can and do make a big dent. I would also note that we fill in many gaps in government programs. Our food pantry is now providing food to upwards of 3900 families a week (and we ar eone out of hundreds)! I don't have time to help a great deal with that program, but I do collect thousands of recycled grocery bags for them. I have people all over that save bags for me. For every 5 grocery bags we collect for them, they can buy a pound of food for the poor with the money that they save. Just this morning I delivered about 3000 bags to them, which saved them enough money to buy about 600 lbs of food. That is the kind of thing that makes a guy feel pretty good about his meager efforts. I typically try to live by the Biblical admonishment,
"When thou doest alm let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth", but I have found that has to be balanced with demonstrating to people that they too can help. You know somehow I always receive more grace from any kindness that I extend to people in need than they do. God has given me the gift of seeing need and then he leaves it up to me to find the resources to fulfill that need. It is very, very rewarding and humbling to be blessed in such a way. On the other hand, I began life in rather austere circumstances myself, yet God has seen fit to bless me with a strong back and reasonable brain, so I have enjoyed a bit of success that makes it my duty to share... :-) I know that does not resonate with some people, but it makes my life very fulfilling. Sometime we will chat privately about some of the wonderful people that this ministry has brought to me. What wonderful friends I have made amongst the poor and homeless over the years.

What is welfare?

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