Linking The Neighborhoods

Low Income Groups Seek to Redefine the Economic Security Agenda: Looking Ahead to TANF Reathorization

The federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant expires at the end of September, 2002 and Congress must take steps to reauthorize TANF for the program to continue beyond that date. Low-income groups and coalitions are organizing to shape and participate in the debate. These groups and coalitions include the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support; Grass Roots Organizing for Welfare Liberation (GROWL); Western Regional Welfare Activists Network (WRWAN); the "Welfare Made a Difference" Campaign, the Welfare Rights Strategy group; and National Welfare Monitoring and Advocacy Partnership (NWMAP). For information and background see the new section for TANF Reauthorization information on the LINC Project website at http://www.lincproject.org.  

Montana-based WEEL, which coordinates the Western Regional Welfare Activists Network (WRWAN), reports in detail on WRWAN's TANF reauthorization activities in WEEL January 2000 Newsletter at http://www.lincproject.org/Newsletters/WEEL/jan2000/page6.html 

The Nation's May 8th, 2000 issue carries an editorial by Frances Fox Piven entitled "Welfare Movement Rises" which describes how grassroots groups have responded to the effects of "welfare reform" in their communities and the current mobilization around TANF reauthorization.  The article can be found online at http://www.thenation.com/issue/000508/0508piven.shtml. 

The National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support has called on states to spend their TANF surpluses on innovative programs to reduce poverty and issued a detailed report in late February on state TANF surpluses, along with state-specific information. The report, issued nationally and locally in over 30 states and 50 cities with the help of community organizations, received extensive media attention. For the reports and other National Campaign information visit http://www.nationalcampaign.org. For background on the National Campaign, see the Welfare Law Center's article, Low-Income Groups Seek to Redefine the Economic Security Agenda, at http://www.lincproject.org/reauth.htm.

Beth Kelley of Colorado's People United for Families (PUFF) recently reported to the LINC Project's listserv that Denver County plans to allocate $1 million dollars of its TANF surplus money to the Summer Youth Program and PUFF's plans to mobilize membership in a campaign to get the funds redirected back to welfare participants.

Pennsylvania's Just Harvest reports that 250 citizens jammed a federally mandated hearing on "Welfare Reform" to demand changes in the state's Department of Public Welfare's implementation of TANF. Some of the suggested changes included: establishment of a "peer advocate" program so that welfare recipients can help each other navigate the state's complex TANF program, counting education as a work- related activity, using state funds to "stop the clock" for recipients whose time has run out, and urging the state to track closed welfare cases - the full text of the article can be found at http://www.lincproject.org/Newsletters/JustHarvest/Jan2000/jh22000.htm.

Dottie Stevens reports in the latest issue of Survival News on the Family Economic Initiative and Massachusetts Welfare Rights Union's "high tech" efforts in a recent call-in campaign to urge the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives to support the current "welfare reform" bill that is before the state legislature. By combining an old-fashioned door knocking campaign by organizers armed with the latest technology in telecommunications, cell phones, they were able to get over a hundred calls placed to the Speaker. The bill before the state legislature includes provisions for the 20 hours of required community service to include 10 hours of college education and a realistic extension of the time limits.  For more Information see its website at http://www.sojourner.org/welfaremediaproject/. 

The January, 2000 issue of the Ohio Empowerment Coalition News reports on a meeting between the Coalition and an Ohio House Representative about introducing a bill that would extend the state's three year time limit to five consecutive years. The OEC is also involved in coordinating the efforts of other grassroots groups in a "Stop the Clock Campaign." The full text of the article an be found at http://www.lincproject.org/Newsletters/oec/jan2000/oec.htm.

The Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition in Washington gives an update on its legislative agenda for 2000, including the "stop the clock" bill that WROC was able to get introduced in each of the houses. WROC is training members to speak to media about welfare issues and will be conducting a phone-in campaign targeting the legislature. For more information see its Newsletter at http://www.scn.org/activism/wroc/0100news.htm

The December 1999 issue of the ACORN Report details ACORN Los Angeles' breakthrough on getting a wage based alternative to workfare. The LA County Board of Supervisors has agreed to require the Department of Public and Social Services to come up with a plan for wage-based community service instead of workfare. ACORN's involvement in the writing of the plan has been mandated by the Board. The Board has also agreed to consider a six-month moratorium on cutting people off of General Relief. 

The April 2000 issue of the ACORN Report covers the recent win by the ACORN WEP Workers Organizing Committee in New York City to get City Council Approval of their grievance procedure for welfare recipients forced to work in the WEP Program.  Mayor Giuliani did veto the bill but the City Council overrode it.  The Mayor is planning to sue to prevent implementation of the grievance process.

The January 20 - 26, 2000 issue of the Miami New Times reports on the formation of the Minority Families Against WAGES, a grassroots group of mothers participating in Floridas's cash assistance program, known as the Work and Gain Economic Self-Sufficiency (WAGES) program. The organizing effort is a project of the recently established Miami Workers' Center an organization that aims to raise the self-awareness among Miami workers and help them organize, assume leadership and fight for their rights. You can find the article online at http://www.miaminewtimes.com/issues/2000-01-20/feature2.html. 

New York City is the latest to enact a transitional jobs program.  According to a press release distributed by the National Employment Law Project (NELP), New York City will enact the program despite a veto from Mayor Giuliani.  The program will place 7,500 recipients over the next three years in public and non-profit sector jobs and replace their benefits with actual paychecks (at a rate of $7.50 an hour).  The efforts to get the bill passed is the result of a coalition that included NELP, Community Voices Heard (CVH), Fifth Avenue Committee and municipal union DC37.  More information about the bill can be found on the NELP website at http://www.nelp.org and the CVH site at http://www.cvhaction.org.

The Kensington Welfare Rights Union continues to organize around its Economic Human Rights Campaign. A march is planned to coincide with the convening of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia on July 31, 2000. For more information contact the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, PO Box 50678, Philadelphia PA 19132-9720. Phone: 215-203-1945. Web: http://www.libertynet.org/kwru/

The Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition of Washington State announces the creation of an online discussion group devoted to keeping their members involved with WROC's legislative agenda. WROC will also be posting alerts and notices from Olympia on the discussion list.  For further information see WROC's newsletter posted at http://www.scn.org/activism/wroc/1199news.htm#Article #5

Latest LINC Technology Tip Now Available on the LINC Project website http://www.lincproject.org/toolkit/troubleshoot.htm. A Circuit Rider's Guide to Troubleshooting PCs will help you figure out what to do when your computer acts up!

Low-Income Groups Work to Close the Digital Divide. For exciting examples of groups' creative uses of the Internet to organize their communities, develop members' leadership and computer skills, communicate with their constituencies, and advocate to shape public policies, see Dirk Slater's article at http://www.lincproject.org/digdiv.htm

LINC Project's Dirk Slater Receives First Annual Circuit Riders Award at Circuit Rider Round-Up. http://www.lincproject.org/crds.htm

In case you missed the following resources for grassroots groups noted in Welfare Law Center publications over the past several months, we are repeating them below with information on how to get a copy of each item directly from the source (The Welfare Law Center does not distribute these items).

Food Stamp Campaign Organizing Packet, Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee, Inc., Summer 1999

This packet gives tips on organizing a food stamp outreach campaign, including how to identify and document the problem, how to seek allies, how to communicate with key decision makers, how to communicate the campaign's message and how to maintain the campaign's focus. The packet includes examples of items generated by Hunger Task Force's Campaign and various resources. Available from Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee, 201 S. Hawley Court, Milwaukee, WI 53214, tel. 414-777-0483, fax: 414-777-0480, e-mail: heather@hungertaskforce.org; website: www.hungertaskforce.org.

2. Earned Income Credit Outreach Kit

Help Workers Boost their Paychecks! The Earned Income Credit 2000 Outreach Kit, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 820 First Street, NE, Washington DC 20002, 202-408-1080, fax 202-408-1056,

This comprehensive kit includes flyers, posters, fact sheets, and a guide to outreach strategies to increase participation in the Earned Income Credit. You can download the entire kit, including posters in English and Spanish, at CBPP's website, www.cbpp.org, or use the order form to order a paper copy. If you have questions about EITC outreach, contact John Wancheck at CBPP, wancheck@cbpp.org or 202-408-1080.

3. Increasing Access to the CHIP Program

Breaking Barriers: A Grassroots Guide to Identifying Access to the Children's Health Insurance Program by Northwest Federation of Community Organizations, Grassroots Innovative Policy Program (October 1999).

This helpful step-by-step guide describes how a community group can test a state's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) application process to identify access barriers to CHIP and help fashion remedies to open the program to more children. The guide includes the following chapters: 1) learning about the eligibility requirements in your state and the barriers that prevent access to CHIP; 2) recruiting testers and volunteers; 3) training the team; 4) performing the test; 5) making sense of the results; 6) writing the report; and 7) presenting the results to the media.

The guide is based on a successful CHIP testing effort by the Idaho Community Action Network (ICAN) and materials from that effort are included. Copies of the guide are available from the NWFCO, 1905 S. Jackson St., Seattle, W 98144, tel. 206-568-5400; fax 206-568-5444, email: nwfco@seanet.org and GRIPP, 145 Campbell Ave SW, Ste. 314, Roanoke, VA 24011, tel. 540-857-3088, fax: 540-857-3090, website: www.arc.gripp.org/gripp.