Social Services/Human Services
by Carol West
Social Services defined in
Webster’s Dictionary: organized welfare
efforts carried on under professional auspices by trained personnel. (1850-55)
“Human” defined in Webster’s has
multiple meanings: 1) pertaining to,
characteristic of, or having the nature of people; human frailty; 2) consisting of people; the human race; 3)
of or pertaining to the social aspect of
people: human affairs; 4)
sympathetic, humane; a warmly human understanding; 5) a human being.
This year, someone found the need to change the name of
the welfare department from “Social Services” to “Human Services”. And with the
relocation of Denver’s welfare office into a beautiful new building, the change
was made.
I begin this article in this
manner because I am very disturbed that we’ve come so far and yet the old ways
are still at work in all our lives.
Welfare “reform” was to bring about more individualized assistance for
families
We have heard stories and
witnessed first-hand how hostile the welfare system is to parents who are “not
becoming self-sufficient” fast enough. In many instances, case workers are using
children to control and punish parents. They make threats like, “If you don’t
find a job and an apartment within the month, you could have your children
taken away from you because you are not providing for them” or “We’re going to
have to put your kids in foster care because you are too depressed to care for
them”. On one hand, we understand that
some (Social, p.2)
PUFF Meets With RTD Board Member, Rick Garcia On Transportation Issues
PUFF members Cindy Sole, her daughter Beth
Sole, and Carol West met with
RTD Board Director Rick Garcia to discuss affordable transportation
opportunities for working poor parents and students. PUFF explained the work we
have been doing on establishing transportation assistance for parents who have
gotten jobs but can’t afford a $35 monthly bus pass or student passes for their
children. “Between my daughter and I, we spend $56 a month on bus passes. I
have a good job and make a decent wage, but that puts a huge dent in my
budget,” said Cindy Sole.
Mr. Garcia was very interested in
the idea of assisting families transitioning off welfare with an Eco-pass,
which is basically a year’s bus pass with a “guaranteed ride home” provision in
emergencies. PUFF described the meetings they participated in with a DDHS
representatives. DDHS had concerns that an Eco-pass would be too expensive to
provide families moving off TANF and felt that in order to bring RTD a plan
they would consider, other counties needed to be brought into the conversation.
DDHS has been working with the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG)
to apply for federal grant money to pay for transportation programs. PUFF’s
concern was that it would take a year or two to receive any of that federal
money and in the mean time, people are getting jobs and in many cases losing
them because they didn’t have transportation assistance. Colorado has millions
of TANF dollars earmarked for this very reason sitting in the treasury. We want
to see some of that money be used for families who could use it now. (see RTD, p. 2)
(RTD cont’d.) Mr. Garcia talked about a project he has been working
on with Denver Public Schools and Action for a Better Community (ABC) to reduce
the student bus fares and negotiating an affordable year-round pass
program for students who work outside
of school time.
Other concerns that came up
included the lack of bus service on weekends and late nights. This causes a
barrier for parents who work odd-hours, especially if they work in the suburbs,
and child care problems because some parents have to bring their children to
work with them. Many bus and light rail stops have no seats which is hard for
people with physical problems like a bad back or knees. Mr. Garcia said he
would look into those issues and talk to staff about the reasons for pulling out
seats at stops.
We agreed to pursue the
Eco-pass/transitional transportation benefit idea with RTD staff,
Welfare-to-Work program officials and DDHS. Expanding hours for bus routes
would also be explored. PUFF agreed to research what other states were doing to
eliminate the transportation barrier for working poor families.
If you have good ideas for transportation solutions for families call
us! We would love to hear from you.
**********************************************
(Social, cont’d.) children should be removed because they are
living in abusive or unsafe situations. However, we know that some case workers
are abusing their power by using children to get the mother to do something.
Perhaps some parents would be better parents if they had enough resources to
pay the bills or be able to provide with the earnings of just one job.
Recently, I witnessed inhumane
treatment from a person representing a professional with Denver Human Services.
What really concerned me was the
lack of respect and abuse of power the case worker showed in front of us. She
intimidated the mother and did not ever ask any of us who work with these 2
boys if we had noticed any kind of some case workers are abusing their power by
using children to get the mother to do something. Perhaps some parents would be
better parents if they had enough resources to pay the bills or be able to
provide with the earnings of just one job.
We know that this happens all too
often. We hear often of parents who have had their children taken away from
them because they are “too depressed”, homeless, or as in this case, have poor
eating habits. We also know that children need to be protected if they are
being abused, neglected or living in other unsafe environments. What we are
most concerned about is how some case workers are using the threat of removing
children from the home to force parents to do something. Some parents have told
us that their children were taken because the mother was “too depressed to care
for them” instead of providing more avenues for treatment. In the same breath
case workers tell parents that they have a certain amount of time to get a
full-time job and an apartment. DDHS assured us that there are strict policies
in place to guide case workers in determining when a child should be removed
and to guard against abuse of power. We are concerned that some case workers
are not going by these policies and using children to control parents.
How many others have faced circumstances such as this? We’d like to
hear from you. As an organization, we can use our collective voices to
advocate for changes and alert DDHS about gaps in services and problems in
program delivery. Don’t be afraid to speak out. You have a right to be treated
fairly and respectfully.
We’ve been told time and time
again “we’re just going by the rules” but in all of this, where does the human factor come in? There are lots of
questions and we are going to seek out the answers. And with the grace of God,
perhaps these people will begin to see us as human beings and treat us as such.
Hello Friends, this is the 2nd installment of my new
feature, “Good News from the Broom Closet”.
My name is CC and I would like to share some friendly tips with all
of you.
This month’s affirmation is “Remember,
when you are ready to learn, your teacher will appear”.
If it looks like a stubborn stain,
before you throw it in the laundry basket, soak it in a mixture of one teaspoon
of white vinegar and a quart of cold
water.
Remember when you talk to your
children, please listen, you may learn something. They’re a great wealth of
information as well as loads of fun.
Speaking of loads, if you put 1/4 cup of baking soda in washer, it’ll
help make colors brighter.
If you are blessed with young men in
your house, you know that they love to track mud inside. If you shake salt on your carpet and let it sit for about one hour, and vacuum
up, your carpet will be fresh, clean, nice, and bright.
Polish wood floors and wood furniture
with cold tea.
“This country will not be a good
place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to
live in.” -Theodore Roosevelt
Thank you to all of you who have contributed your
time, talents and resources to People United for Families.
Rocky Mountain Synod of the
Presbyterian Church, Self-Development of People
Victory Noll Sisters and
Associates
First Unitarian Church
Community Resource Center
Jewish Fund for Justice
We are grateful for your support and
belief in us.
PUFF Forms Board of Directors
PUFF
members have created a Board of Directors to serve as the leaders of the
organization. Board members were
selected for their leadership, commitment and volunteer service to PUFF over
the past year and a half. The 1999-2000 PUFF Board of Directors include:
Carol West, President
Paula McIntire,
Vice-president
Evon Yearby, Co-Treasurer Heather Line, Co-Treasurer
Charmaine Barros, Secretary CC Adejoh
Lisa Adamson Ruth Cordova
Margaret Zertuche Alycia Santilli
Alysia Boyd Veronica La Crue
Sandra Barela Helga Crawford
Board
members are responsible for guiding the overall organization. Each Board member
has first hand experience with the welfare system and is committed to
maintaining an organization to be a voice for low income and working poor
families. Look for profiles of our Board members in upcoming issues of the PUFF
newsletter!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, June 16 5-7 p.m.
DDHS, 1200 Federal Blvd. East
Entrance 3rd floor
Denver Welfare Reform Board
meeting
Saturday, June 19
10:30 a.m. – Noon
1st Unitarian Church,
1400 Lafayette St.
Monthly PUFF membership Meeting
Monday, June 21 4:00 p.m.
Meeting with Congresswoman Diana DeGette. (Yes, this is the
3rd change. If you are interested in participating, please call the
PUFF office for more information, 303-623-1540 ext. 15.)
Did you know…
You
must reapply for child care assistance if your TANF case has been closed.
You
have the right to change your Individual Responsibility Contract (IRC) AT ANY
TIME.
If
you are in compliance with your (IRC) you are eligible for supportive services
assistance for things like clothing vouchers and car repairs so you can get to
and from work.
If
you have a question ASK! Feel free to contact the PUFF office if you feel you
are not receiving all of the benefits you are eligible for, 303-623-1540 ext.
15.
YOU Are Invited
to the Next
PUFF Meeting
When: Saturday, June 19
Time: 10:30 - Noon
Where: First Unitarian Church, 1400 Lafayette
St.
Join us to plan
action on the
Issues you care
about
Children
are welcome! Child care and lunch is provided free of charge!
Transportation
assistance available.
Call Beth to reserve child care, 303-623-1540.
Please
come and bring your friends!
PUFF
(People United for Families)
655
Broadway, Suite 300
Denver,
CO 80203
Phone:
303-623-1540
In this issue:
Is Human Services Humane?
PUFF Meets With RTD Board Member
PUFF Forms Board of Directors
This newsletter is
written by low-income women for low-income women to:
Keep people informed of the issues we are working
on;
Be a voice where we have had none;
Share information;
Provide group support; and
Protect our rights.
We welcome your
articles, poems, recipes, and letters! Deadline for submissions is the first
Wednesday of the month. Call Beth if you would like to help with the
newsletter, 303-623-1540 ext. 15.
