A BLUEPRINT FOR THE ROAD AHEAD
The families whose voices you've heard
throughout this book have much to contribute to the ongoing debate about
welfare policy in Maine and the nation. They've shared their stories in a
spirit of remarkable generosity and in hope that the insight they offer will
help to improve the lives of many thousands of low-income people who they
will never meet. Their words bring a rare and vivid clarity to the events of
the last five years-they are the families behind the data, the research and
the rhetoric of welfare reform.
These families have told us much about what
works, what does not, and what is now needed. Their collective experience
can provide a valuable roadmap to what is needed as welfare law is
reauthorized and implemented in states over the coming months.
Brooke, Kathie, Sadie and Melissa left TANF
to go to work. Lisa will leave soon. They have all worked before, and they
are now part of the great exodus from the TANF caseload that has occurred
over the last five years. Their experiences stand in stark contrast to the
claims we hear all around us that the reduction in welfare rolls spells
success. These families remain only marginally above the official poverty
level, if that. Success for them is a month when they have enough income to
pay the bills without fielding calls from bill collectors or getting a
disconnect notice from a utility or a late fee on their rent.
They are working as much as they can and
still can't make ends meet. Nor is their income secure. Without paid sick
leave, staying home with a sick child can put a large hole in their budget
or, as Brooke has experienced, can cause them to lose a job. Transportation
in a rural state like Maine is a constant source of anxiety-Sadie just lost
the brakes on her car with 200,000 miles on it; Melissa doesn't have a car
at all; Kathy has learned to fix her own car, but it still takes time to
save the money for parts. Brooke and Kathy are anxious for more education to
help increase their wages, but despair the lack of opportunity for higher
education for people in their situation.
For these families and many more like them,
programs that would increase access to affordable car ownership and car
repairs could make the difference between keeping and losing a job.
Providing access to education and training opportunities would give these
families an incomparable boost to a more secure life. Income supplements for
low-wage workers, a practice already in place elsewhere, would help these
families and the well being of their children enormously.
Sherry, Ruth and Carrie all spend much of
their days caring for children with disabilities. Russ and Loretta, Janet,
Debra and Carrie have illnesses or disabilities of their own. Sally is a
domestic violence survivor and Debra is raising a second family-her two
grandchildren who were physically and emotionally abused by their parents.
All of them are receiving TANF today. For them, and the majority of the
11,000 families in Maine who remain on TANF, there are many obstacles to
overcome before they can earn a living in at a full time job.
How can we make work successful in raising
families out of poverty? As various "participation rates" numbers
are debated, it seems sensible to work toward ensuring that these rates
include a recognition and accommodation of the large numbers of families
with these kinds of obstacles. To truly succeed, for example, Sally must
receive services to help her overcome the impact of domestic violence, and
these services need to be counted in her "participation plan" for
she likely won't be able to work successfully until that issue is addressed.
Ruth and Debra need flexibility in the number of hours they must work, so
they can care for their special needs children and are not forced to
compromise their childrens' health.
In Maine there have clearly been bright
spots, success stories in our experience with welfare reform. This is no
accident. Maine went through a long and thoughtful debate, listening to many
different voices before adopting its welfare reform plan in 1996. And its
policy makers had the courage to implement a vision that went against the
norm. That leadership has paid off, and many Maine families are better off
today as a result.
Janet graduated from the University of Maine
at Machias, in one of the poorest counties in America, with the help of the
Parents as Scholars Program. Today she is working as a financial services
coordinator for double the wage she earned before going back to school.
Donna was allowed the time she needed to get therapy to help her overcome
the effects of severe abuse as a child. She is now enrolled in the Parents
as Scholars Program as well, and looking forward to become a therapist
herself. Denise, with the help of her caseworker, got special training in
the construction trade, and today she pours concrete, welds, and builds
forms for a local construction company, loving her job and relishing the
impact that her choice to get more education has had on her kids.
Rebecca, Sally and Jennie each got help with
a particular transportation problem, a seemingly simple solution but a
critical one that put them all on the road to successful jobs. Assistance
during transitional times in a family's life makes a huge difference. Lisa,
having fled an abusive husband, was able to access safe, transitional
housing until she got back on her feet. She credits this housing as saving
her life. Today she is earning her nursing degree. Through transitional
childcare for families leaving TANF, Dawn was able to keep her job as a
preschool teacher. In the part of the State where she lives, she is sure
that she wouldn't be able to afford childcare without it.
And for Shannon the Medicaid program has made
a dramatic difference. It has helped her four-year- old son begin to
overcome his disability and has helped her with her own medical problems.
She has no access to health insurance at either of her two part-time jobs.
Is there a common thread to these success
stories? A flexible welfare program, with the ability to respond to
individual needs and obstacles, is certainly critical. At minimum, families
need help with the basic requirements to having and keeping a job - reliable
childcare and transportation. To truly help families leave welfare behind,
access to education and job training is most essential. Health care, of
course, is a basic need that has a significant effect on a parent's ability
to keep her family healthy and have a successful work experience.
Increasingly, parents who work in part-time or low-wage jobs are not
offered, or cannot afford health insurance at work.
In the end, the lessons learned from the
families contributing to this book will help us to build on what has been
successful and face squarely the problems that remain. The challenge is to
really listen to what they have to say, and then take the steps necessary to
finish the real job of welfare reform-to help low income families with
children leave not only welfare, but also poverty behind.
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