A social welfare policy that grabs my attention is TANF. TANF is a cash assistance program to help families buy basic necessities to survive. This program even provides transitional services to help families become self-sufficient. In class we learned that TANF is the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. In February of 2018 the Office of Family Assistance at Health and Human Services published a report documenting that total combined federal and state costs for TANF (and the states' maintenance-of-effort expenditures that go along with TANF as part of the same policy) were $30.9 billion. However, only a relatively small portion of this expenditure (seemingly about 36% at most) went to cash assistance. Much of the spending went toward work, education, and training activities; child care; child welfare services; pre-kindergarten and Head Start; services for children & youth; work supports; out-of-wedlock pregnancy prevention; and program management. In any given month during 2015, about 1.63 million families with 4.17 million persons were receiving help through TANF. About 48.6% of those on the TANF caseload were in child-only cases (families with no adult; the TANF support was for children). The average monthly assistance for persons getting TANF benefits was valued at just under $400.
There are things I agree with and disagree with about the TANF program. One reason I like the TANF program is because it provides families with temporary financial assistance. I also like that you must be a U.S. citizen; however, I don’t like under certain circumstances immigrants can receive TANF. They should be U.S. citizens. Families can receive TANF for five years. I feel like this is a little long for people to be on this program. I would think three years would give someone plenty of time to get back on their feet.
People on TANF must have a plan to become self-sufficient. This is the number one reason I like this program. Since this program requires people on TANF to work towards being self-sufficient, I would think it would motivate people to get out and get back on their feet. I know not all people want to live on welfare programs for the rest of their lives. Another thing I like about TANF is most families are also eligible to receive SNAP. SNAP benefits help families buy food. SNAP is the supplemental nutrition assistance program.
Some people take advantage of the welfare programs. We always hear stories about the one on welfare who don’t get out and try to help themselves. They want everyone to do it for them. We never hear about the ones who are working their butt off to try to get back on their feet and make a better living for themselves. My question is, does the Illinois Department of Human Services follow these guidelines? I know there are some exceptions. One exception I know of is if you are in a vocational program that will finish within six months of the 60-month deadline. I agree with this exception, because there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This person is working towards bettering themselves. They have proof of trying to better themselves too.
Self-sufficiency is indeed a noble goal, and something most people can achieve. Of course, while we want people to be self-sufficient, we must realize that most of the persons who receive benefits from TANF are children. Nearly half of the TANF cases are children without adults, and among the families with adults, most of those families do have children. We don't expect all those children to be self-sufficient, do we? Not yet, at least. What are your thoughts about persons who don't seem likely to achieve self-sufficiency? I'm not just thinking of persons who have significant mental illnesses or developmental disabilities or physical impairments or chronic health problems—what about the people who are not very intelligent and have had horrible childhoods so that they are fragile and not very competent? What if such persons can't get and keep a decent job? What are we to do with them?
You also mention your opposition to non-citizens receiving TANF benefits. I hope you will look into this issue. One group of immigrants who get TANF for up to eight months are Iraqi and Afghani refugees. Do you think we Americans have any special obligations to refugees from those countries? Also, what about legal foreign residents who are fleeing from spousal abuse? There are 28 states that allow TANF benefits for battered spouses and their children, but do you really think that the 22 states that don't make this program available to that population have a superior policy? It's something to think about.
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