AACS World Wide Web PagesA Summative Report
Audubon Area Community Services, Inc. conducted a regional survey of customers, community leaders and ordinary citizens to determine perceived needs. The process was known as Dialogue on Poverty 2000. At least three group meetings were held in each of the seven counties in Audubon’s catchment area, with attendance ranging from five to twenty-five. Individuals were also given an opportunity to provide written responses to the question: “If the world could become a perfect place, what barriers would have to be removed in order for everyone to become self-sufficient?”
Groups and individuals alike provided thoughtful input and lively discussion. Of the 488 valid responses recorded, a wide variety of “categories” were identified. The top six were: a) Jobs (56); b) Mental Health (55); Education (52); c) “The System” (43); d) Prejudice/Discrimination (42); and e) Childcare (35). Other categories of responses included transportation, lack of a safety net, housing and elderly needs for a total of fourteen. Perhaps some categories could be combined, but the data seemed to lend itself to this level of division.
Most references to jobs focused on the need to create more and better-paying jobs. Several comments alluded to the minimum wage not only being insufficient for replacing K-TAP (welfare program in Kentucky) benefits, many felt it provided a “ceiling” on entry-level wages. Because some jobs seemed to be labeled “minimum wage jobs,” the employer only needed to pay the basic rate but not above. Therefore individuals who gained employment actually suffered a cut in their overall standard of living.
Taking a minimum wage job cuts benefits. The cuts create problems with costs related to health care, housing and energy bills. Rent in subsidized housing increases, medical cards no longer cover the adults and energy bills cannot be subsidized due to income limits being exceeded.
Perhaps some responses categorized here could have been tallied in the “Education” category. Attempting to educate oneself to a more positive self-esteem or sobriety, however, seldom succeeds. Mentoring, group discussions and individual counseling present the most likely means of correction, with the famous Twelve Step groups consistently scoring the highest in positive effect and longevity of results.
The tone of responses communicated a need to strengthen one’s emotional system along with, and perhaps prior to, beginning a career. Motivation, help with anger management, coping and problem-solving skills, interpersonal communication skills and several other replies revealed an understanding that in order to obtain and maintain a job, one must have a basic degree of self-control and ability to get along with others.
Items placed in this category included earning a General Equivalency Diploma (GED), skills for pre-employment tests and interviewing techniques. Parenting skills, family planning and budgeting reflected the need for self-improvement courses. Affordable post-secondary education was also put into this category.
Eligibility requirements, maltreatment by service providers (disparaging remarks, being treated as a lower-class person, etc.) and frustration with limits on use of some cash benefits such as Food Stamps that will not pay for cleaning supplies fell into this category. Lack of clearly communicating what is available, too-soon reduction or cutoff of benefits when earnings increase and a need for increased benefits made the grouping. Several responses listed the potential for harm to children in the household when adults are sanctioned for noncompliance to welfare-to-work regulations. Some respondents raised concerns about fraud and abuse by clients. A few went so far as to say welfare should be totally eliminated and churches given the responsibility for supporting the households.
Most responses in this category related to socio-economic discrimination rather than racial or gender bias although they were mentioned. Attempting to break through the barrier of “who you know rather than what you know” to gain employment appeared to be the top identified obstacle. Several implied a “class system” exists in the mostly rural region, greatly hindering, if not prohibiting, one from moving toward self-sufficiency. The mention of discrimination in lending and inability to gain employment due to criminal conviction also made the list.
The overall tone of this category decried the “attitude” of those in positions of hiring. Family name and/or history, past bad decisions and a lack of a proven track record of employment serves as a characterization of welfare recipients, true or not. Those attempting to comply with program requirements find themselves unable to do so due to these “invisible barriers” placed in their way by institutionalized discrimination.
In addition to the forty-two responses just described, eighteen (18) additional responses described prejudice although they represent a barrier category identified as “Religion.” Respondents made discriminatory statements to the effect that if persons who received government support would develop a spiritual life—using Judeo-Christian terminology—they would not have to depend upon the benefits. Some went so far as to identify recipients as “sinners,” using an ancient concept related to a biblical passage about “those who refuse to support their family are worse than nonbelievers.”
It was interesting that this group of responses appeared in a listing of “barriers” to self-sufficiency. Social work as a discipline began in the Christian Organization Societies of last century. Communities across America turn to churches for benevolent acts, particularly for feeding the hungry. Yet statements by some participants clearly revealed a bias against persons with low incomes!
A large majority of entries spoke to the issues of after-hours childcare. The welfare-to-work regulations require persons to go to work. Many, if not most, entry-level positions fall into the general category of the “service industry.” Service industries include housekeeping, personal care taking and food services. Due to the “full employment” environment of this day, second- and third-shift job openings appear to be the most commonly available.
Regulations applied to licensed and certified providers in Kentucky’s place stringent restrictions on care outside the 6 AM to 6 PM, Monday-through-Friday time frame. Lower staff-to-child ratios, meal preparation, sleeping arrangements and other requirements enter the picture when operating outside the “normal” hours, thus driving up costs for the services. Many licensed providers simply do not attempt to get into serving the need for financial profit reasons.
Along with a need to have around-the-clock childcare, several respondents mentioned a need for childcare when the child is ill. Currently, most schools and daycare centers will not allow a child to remain on campus if they are feverish or displaying behaviors such as vomiting or diarrhea. A few items were mentioned like losing a job for absenteeism due to caring for a sick child; the need for childcare at the workplace; the cost of childcare; and linking childcare and transportation together to get the child to the daycare center and the adult to their place of work.
Several other categorical responses appeared but were insufficient to warrant a detailed description. Those related to transportation mostly listed it as a one-word response. A few longer listings spoke to the need for transportation due to not having an automobile or insurance, needing assistance getting to work and a couple for elderly-related issues such as a trip to the doctor or grocery.
Housing responses mentioned the need for stable/affordable rent. As mentioned, increased income drives up the cost in subsidized housing. Some replies revealed participants did not understand there is a slight delay in the increase after starting a job and drawing the first paycheck.
Education-related replies mostly listed a minimal level of achievement so that one could get a job. A few mentioned illiteracy. Some tied it in with family planning. Employability skills and the cost of post-secondary education received a few votes. Finances, mainly budget management, made the list a few times. Related responses were lending practices, too-high cost of living and saving money for unexpected expenses. Three thought children should be educated in budgeting techniques.
Finally, several comments were made about “safety net” issues. Funds to tap when utility bills are too high, money for prescription drugs, a means to purchase health and automotive insurance, and care for elderly parents during the workday appeared.
No “surprises” surfaced during the Dialogue 2000 meetings or on the written responses. The significance of mental health issues did register higher than expected. None, however, presented a barrier that cannot be systematically approached and resolved for the most part. Not every person or household living in poverty will be brought fully into self-sufficiency. That much is known and accepted. There can be much done to alleviate as much as possible the life of poverty for those capable of making the transition.
In a 1994 initiative to better track and report services provided to the low-income population, the Office of Community Services established six national Results-Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) goals. Goals 1 and 6 address the issues related to individuals and families working toward self-sufficiency by increasing income and better utilizing family and community support systems. Goals 2 and 3 enable providers to track successful improvements to living conditions and activities that encourage persons with low incomes to be involved in bettering their community. Goals 4 and 5 promote more efficient and effective services in agencies as well as linking providers together in order to achieve greater results with limited resources.
It appears most logical to use the framework of the six national goals to positively impact the issues listed in the fourteen categories just described. A review of the listing will enable one to determine if corrective actions must be taken by the household, community or agency. There will be times when all three levels must work together to get a person or family fully engaged in progress toward self-sufficiency.
Individuals and households must want to achieve. Therefore referrals to mental health agencies or adult education programs may be in order. No doubt one must possess a basic level of personal and interpersonal skills to make the journey successfully.
Communities need to determine what type of support systems or safety networks they are willing to commit to creating or supplementing. It is at the community level that private funds, volunteer efforts and political forces can come together to enhance the possibilities available for those desiring to achieve self-sufficiency. All sorts of partnerships are being created across the country as business, industry, government and private groups unite to support and train those in need.
Agencies obviously need to train staff in how to treat consumers with respect and dignity. Agencies can develop resources through grant writing, fund raising and volunteer recruitment to reach out to their communities in convenient locations during both typical and atypical office hours. Agencies must also work hard to inform the public of resources available, eligibility requirements and procedures for receiving benefits.
Legislators have ended long-term dependency upon welfare. All former “welfare” programs have become assistance programs that provide temporary, limited support. Persons must now be trained and empowered to do all that can be done personally to improve their standard of living, using benefits sparingly and periodically.
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