Safety Net Programs Under Attack!
Here we go again. The country has
a surplus of approximately $2.9 trillion over the next 10 years, and as
Congress and the President hash out the budget agreement and look for ways to
cut taxes, Congress is primed for
slashing programs which are a lifeline for poor families. Another example
of the rich getting richer at the expense of the poor. It is critical for low
income citizens, advocates to contact your congressional representatives NOW to
ensure our elected officials invest in children and working families!
Earned Income Tax Credit
The House Appropriations Committee approved a plan that would mean low-income working families would no longer
receive their Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) refund in full as one lump sum
payment, but in 12 monthly installments instead. This results in savings to
the government---of $8.7 billion over the next year-- because the refunds
would not be paid in total during one fiscal year. The EITC cut is included in the FY2000 Labor, HHS, and Education
Appropriations bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee this week. This bill may be debated shortly by the full
House.
House Raids TANF & Job Training/Education Funds
In other blatant attacks against the poor, the Labor, HHS, and Education
Appropriations subcommittee:
---slashed $3 billion from
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) intended to help single
parents move from welfare to work;
---cut $750 million in Employment
and Training Administration funding, including eliminating $250 million in
Youth Opportunity Grants;
---and wiped
out the restoration of $471 million the President proposed for the Social
Services Block Grant (Title XX), which
provides money to states for child care, elder care, and important family and
child welfare services.
What can YOU do?
Call your Representative in Congress! (See across for a list of Colorado’s
representatives.) Tell your elected officials to urge House members to strike the EITC provision from the Labor, HHS,
and Education Appropriations bill because:
---Over 13.5 million American
children are living in poverty. Nearly three-quarters of them live in
low-income working families who are struggling to make ends meet!
In the Senate this week:
The Senate Appropriations
Committee approved its version of the FY2000 Labor, HHS, and Education
Appropriations bill that would slash Title XX from $1.9 billion in FY1999 to
$1.05 billion in FY2000, a 45% reduction.
This $850 million cut continues a pattern of massive cuts Title XX has
suffered over the last few years.
On a positive note, the Children’s Defense Fund reports that thanks to
phone calls and letters to Senators, advocates had several wins to be proud of!
---An amendment offered by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Sen. Jim Jeffords
(R-VT) to increase funding for the Child
Care and Development Block Grant Program by $817 million to $2 billion was adopted.
---An amendment offered by Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL) to increase funding for the Social Services Block grant by $1.3 billion to
$2.4 billion was adopted after a vote of 57-39.
The next step for the Senate FY2000 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations
bill is to go to conference (once the House passes a similar bill), so that the
differences can be worked out for the final bill to send to the President.
ACTION NEEDED: Call your Senators today! Urge them to make sure that the Child Care
increase and the Title XX restoration of funds stay in the final Labor, HHS,
and Education Appropriations bill because:
---The Senate must restore funding
for Title XX so that poor children and poor elderly can receive the services
they need and deserve.
Greedy Man is back!
If you live in Denver, your
representative is:
Representative Diana
DeGette (303) 844-4988
(202) 225-4431
If you don’t live in Denver, call your county Election Commission to find
out who your representative is.
All Colorado residents are
represented by:
Senator Ben Nighthorse
Campell (303)843-4100
(202)224-5852
Senator Wayne Allard (303) 220-8126
(202) 224-5941
All members of Congress can be
reached by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
Communication is a Two-Way Street: A public form on
customer service & accessing benefits at DDHS
How would YOU improve services at the welfare office? What ideas do
YOU have for improving and communication between caseworkers and parents? Are
caseworkers held accountable when they make a mistake or give incorrect
information about programs and services?
Please join PUFF members,
representatives from the Denver Department of Human Services (DDHS), and
members of the Denver Welfare Reform Board on
Saturday, October 16, 1999, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Denver Department of
Human Services, 1200 Federal Boulevard to change the way case workers and
clients do business. Also invited is Mayor Wellington Webb.
The forum, “Communication is a Two
Way Street”, will focus on performance and accountability standards of DDHS
staff members who provide the public with information about available programs
and funds. The appeals process will
also be discussed.
Many families meet the criteria
but are denied funds because of a lack of information, inaccurate information,
or mishandling of the case file by DDHS staff members. Most applicants are
unaware of the appeals process, and staff decisions are not being evaluated.
Lunch and on-site childcare will be provided free of charge. Call 303-623-1540 ext. 15 to register.
Please Join Us!
WOMEN
have strengths that amaze men. They
carry children, they carry hardships, they carry burdens, but they hold
happiness, love and joy.
They
smile when they want to scream. They
sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and they laugh when
they are nervous.
WOMEN
wait by the phone for a "safe at home call" from a friend or relative
after a snowy drive home.
WOMEN
have special qualities about them. They
volunteer for good causes:
They
are pink ladies in hospitals, they bring food to shut ins, they are scout
leaders and homeroom mothers. They are childcare workers, executives,
attorneys, stay-at-home moms, biker babes and your neighbors. They wear suits, jeans, and they wear
uniforms. They fight for what they
believe in.
They
stand up for injustice. They are in the front row at PTA meetings. They vote
for the person that will do the best job for family issues.
WOMEN
talk and walk the extra mile to get their children in the right schools and for
getting their family the right health care. They write to the editor, their
congressmen and to the "powers that be" for things that make for a
better life. They don't take
"no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.
WOMEN
do without new shoes so their children can have them. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. They love unconditionally.
WOMEN
are honest, loyal, and forgiving. They
are smart, knowing that knowledge is power; but they still know how to use
their softer side to make a point.
WOMEN
want to be the best for their family, their friends, and themselves. They cry
when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.
They
are happy when they hear about a birth or a new marriage. Their hearts break
when a friend dies. They have sorrow at
the loss of a family member, Yet they are strong when they think there is no
strength
left.
WOMEN
come in all sizes, in all colors and shapes.
They live in homes, apartments and cabins. They drive, fly, walk, and run to show how much they care about
you. The heart of a woman is what makes
the world spin!
Free Days
Here is a schedule of free days for family entertainment.
October
Every Saturday Denver
Art Museum
Thursday, Oct. 21 Denver Zoo
November
Every Saturday Denver
Art Museum
Tuesday, Nov. 2 Museum of Nat. History
Friday, Nov. 5 Chatfield
Arboretum
Sunday, Nov. 7 Denver
Zoo
Wednesday, Nov. 24 Denver Zoo
December
Every Saturday Denver
Art Museum
Friday, Dec. 3 Chatfield
Arboretum
Sunday, Dec. 12 Museum of Nat. History
For location, hours, and general info call:
Denver Zoo (303)
376-4800
Museum of Natural History (303) 322-7009
Chatfield Arboretum (303) 973-3705
Denver Art Museum (303) 640-4433
Happy Halloween
And happy belated-birthday to Carol West, Paula
McIntire, and Alysia Boyd!
Affordable Housing is a
Welfare Prevention Program
Affordable Housing is at stake! Let the Denver Welfare Reform Board know that
you think housing is important for Denver families!
The Issue: PUFF and the Westside Outreach Center have
proposed a housing plan that would set aside $6 million of the excess TANF
funds for rental assistance for low income (0-$24,000) families. The plan also emphasizes the importance of
creating a rent assistance program that is operated by existing non-profit
housing providers and advocates who are familiar with the housing crisis in
Denver.
DDHS staff presented a housing plan
that benefits landlords who
agree to rent to low income families. Their
plan includes paying landlords incentives to accept low income families into
their units and loaning families money so they can pay non-refundable application
fees for credit/criminal background checks--recommending clients pay $15 in
monthly payments to be deposited into IDA accounts for the family! The
bureaucrats who put the plan together were not in agreement about rental
assistance because it would “create an on-going funding obligation without any
guarantees such funding will be available”.
The Facts:
Denver's
average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $700 per month
The
vacancy rate in the city is less than 4%.
Approximately 88,000 Colorado families
pay more than 50% of their income for rent
homeless children, as compared to
housed children, are: twice as likely to suffer from respiratory infections, 5 times
more likely to suffer diarrheal infections, and twice as likely to be
hospitalized
without permanent, stable housing
working poor families cannot be financially independent
What can I do?
E Speak
out at the Welfare Reform Board meeting on December 8th, 5-7 p.m. @
DDHS, 3rd floor.
- Write to the Denver Welfare
Reform Board! Send letters urging them
to support a housing plan that focuses RENT ASSISTANCE FOR VERY LOW INCOME
FAMILIES! Send your letters to The Denver Welfare Reform Board, c/o Joe Rivera,
1200 Federal Blvd., Denver, CO 80204
Contact Stacie Winslow at the Westside Outreach Center, 303-352-0299 or
Beth (PUFF), 303-623-1540 if you would like to see a copy of our proposal, need
help with your letter, a stamp or anything else.
YOU Are Invited to the PUFF
Community Forum:
Communication is a Two-Way Street
When: Saturday,
October 16
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00
p.m.
Where: Denver
Department of Human Services
1200
Federal Blvd.
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
ext. 15
Peopleunited@juno.com
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.