Achieving
Dreams and Getting
Off Welfare for
Good
Some
might think that being on welfare is like being on "easy street."
Not exactly. Cheria Jordan can tell you.
So often, the welfare
story starts with trauma in childhood. Cheria lived with her grandmother
because her parents were either not around, or struggling with drug
addiction. At 16, just a child herself, she lost the only stable support
system she had ever really known when her grandmother died.
Cheria moved out on her
own, with a younger brother and sister soon joining her. Birth of two
children followed. By the time she appeared at the LSS Minneapolis office,
at age 25, her list of problems to overcome was a mile long.
She needed drug
treatment, a place to live, a job, and a driver's license. She also wanted
to get her children back from child protection, who assumed care of the
children when they were with Cheria's mother.
"I was thin and my hair
was falling out. It was all just more than I could handle," she said.
Enter Sarah Glover, LSS
employment counselor. "We all make mistakes. Most of us have someone to
help us out when we get in a bind. That's almost always not true for
people on assistance. They are alone, with no one to rely on but
themselves."
Sarah became Cheria's
employment counselor and empathetic friend as she walked her through a
year of complete transformation. "I am so proud of her!" Sarah said. "She
accomplished so many things in a year's time."
"When you're on welfare,
there are some who look at you as if you're somehow unworthy of assistance
or concern. What they may forget is that most of these adults were
children who grew up with complete instability, moving from place to
place, suffering neglect or worse. They need our compassion and care."
Cheria has her children,
and her life, back. She's working full-time for a local employer in the
maintenance division, earning enough to support her family and provide a
stable home. She's sober and planning to get her high school diploma.
Each year, LSS works
with over 380 families in Hennepin County to help them gain
self-sufficiency through the Minnesota Family Investment Program. Cheria
Jordan and her family are among 180 families participating in the "Tier
II" program, helping those who have multiple barriers to overcome. About
half of the participants are employed at any given time.
"Nobody wants to be on
welfare," Sarah says. "It's not fun. What we do at LSS is become their
support system to teach accountability, look at outcomes they want to
achieve, and help them overcome barriers of chemical dependency, poor
social structures, and other problems.
"Cheria worked for her
children, and for herself. She knew there was a better life."
How
It Works: Minnesota
Family Investment Program
The Minnesota Family
Investment Program (MFIP) came into being in 1997 as a result of federal
welfare reform in 1996. MFIP is a federally-funded program allocated
through a block grant to states which then pass the funds onto counties
that administer the program. Cash grants are based on family size.
Supports families receive include cash grants, food stamps, and Medical
Assistance.
MFIP is a work program
designed to give parents with children the support they need to gain
self-sufficiency.
In October 2000, MFIP
Tier II was established. This program identifies individuals who are not
making progress in the regular MFIP program. There may be multiple
barriers of health concerns, mental health issues, limited English, or few
job skills. If families have three or four of these barriers, success is
more difficult to achieve.
In Tier II, because of
smaller caseloads, employment counselors have more time to assess the
needs of families and get a clear picture of their needs and barriers.
Based on the assessment, employment counselors develop a plan for job
readiness and job skills development. LSS also links them to other support
they need (mental health counseling, AA groups, parenting classes, stable
housing, etc.) so that they can take small steps to stabilize their family
and be employed.
A family may be on MFIP
for a few months, a band-aid measure needed when families experience a
housing crisis, eviction, personal life turmoil, or a job loss. Or, they
may be on assistance for up to 60 months, the limit for welfare
assistance. Some families may apply for an extension, if they meet
specific criteria.
Participants must be
actively working on their plan approximately 30 hours each week, either by
being employed, receiving training, attending school or by working on
other activities to gain self-sufficiency. Failure to do so results in a
sanction, such as, a reduction in a family's cash grant, and sometimes, in
food stamps.
Impact of Budget Cuts
Most changes to the MFIP
program that resulted from the 2003 Minnesota legislative session were in
program design, with some funding changes:
-
Families on MFIP won't
see a cash grant increase if they have additional children while on
assistance.
-
Families must work 20
hours a week to participate in post-secondary education training that is
longer than 12 weeks.
-
Any parent who is
registered as a child care provider through Hennepin County is no longer
eligible for child care assistance for second jobs, classes, or other
activities that may help them move closer to self-sufficiency.
MFIP Tier II funding is
secure for the next year, but may end in June 2004, due to funding
constraints.
The Minnesota
Legislature also reduced by $125 the cash grant available to families who
have household members with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security
Income benefits.
Information provided
by Rhona Wilson, manager of MFIP Tier II Program, LSS Refugee & Employment
Services.
