Politics

New Kansas Rules Would Limit Spending of Welfare Benefits

Published

9 years ago

April 16, 2015

In this April 13, 2015 photo, Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback makes a point during an interview in his office in the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Brownback is preparing to sign welfare legislation restricting how poor families can spend cash assistance from the state. The Republican governor scheduled a Thursday, April 16, 2015, morning signing ceremony at the Statehouse. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new Kansas law tells poor families that they can’t use cash assistance from the state to attend concerts, get tattoos, see a psychic or buy lingerie. The list of don’ts runs to several dozen items.

More than 20 other states have such lists. But, the one included by the Republican-dominated Kansas Legislature in a bill that GOP Gov. Sam Brownback planned to sign Thursday appears to be the most exhaustive, according to state Department for Children and Families officials.

It’s inspired national criticism and mockery from “The Daily Show.” Host Jon Stewart suggested that in accepting federal funds, Kansas should be forced to give up items like roads “paved with luxurious asphalt.”

“The list has attracted attention because it feels mean-spirited,” said Shannon Cotsoradis, president and CEO of the advocacy group Kansas Action for Children. “It really seems to make a statement about how we feel about the poor.”

It is part of a broader welfare law taking effect in July that Brownback and his allies say is aimed at moving poor families from social services into jobs.

“We want to get people off of public assistance and into private-sector employment, and we’ve had a lot of success with that,” Brownback during an interview this week with The Associated Press.

A 2012 federal law requires states to prevent benefit-card use at liquor stores, gambling establishments or adult-entertainment businesses.

At least 23 states have their own restrictions on how cards can be used, mostly for alcohol, tobacco, gambling and adult-oriented businesses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

A few states — not Kansas — prohibit buying guns, according to the NCSL, and a few ban tattoos or body piercings. Massachusetts prohibits spending on jewelry, bail bonds, or “vacation services.” A 2014 Louisiana law bars card use on cruise ships, which is also on the Kansas list.

Kansas Department for Children and Families officials said that it’s difficult to track how often cash assistance is used for items on the state’s new list because recipients can use their benefits cards to obtain cash. The law will limit ATM withdrawals of cash assistance to $25 a day.

The department said it reclaimed $199,000 in cash assistance from 81 fraud cases from July through February, but said most involved questions about eligibility. The state provided $14 million in cash assistance during the same period.

A 2014 federal report said a check of eight states’ data showed transactions with benefit cards at liquor stores, casinos or strip clubs accounted for less than 1 percent of the total.

Critics question whether such restrictions can be enforced. Elizabeth Schott, senior fellow with the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said enacting them simply creates an “aura of abuse.”

“Undermining support for the programs is what the restrictions do,” she said.

Phyllis Gilmore, Kansas secretary for children and families, said her state’s list is a “composite” of others and has educational value, sending the message that cash assistance should be used for necessities.

“Every dollar that is used fraudulently is a dollar that is not going to an American who is struggling,” said state Sen. Michael O’Donnell, a Wichita Republican who supported the bill.

Much of the new Kansas law codifies administrative policies enacted after Brownback took office in January 2011, so they’ll be harder to undo later.

They include a requirement that cash assistance recipients work at least 20 hours a week, be looking for work or enroll in job training. The new law also includes a much-criticized provision shortening the lifetime cap on cash assistance to 36 months from 48 months, although the state Department for Children and Families said recipients rarely bump up against the lower limit.

The number of cash assistance recipients in Kansas has dropped 63 percent since Brownback took office, to about 14,700 in February. Brownback said the decline confirms the success of his policies, but critics note that U.S. Census Bureau figures show the state’s child poverty rate remaining at about 19 percent through 2013.

Brownback said his state’s list of prohibited cash-assistance uses has become a way for the left to argue against welfare-to-work policies.

“I think you’re seeing the left trying to pillory this,” Brownback said. “They’re just trying to poke fun at it, when it’s not what the debate is really about.”

___

Online:

Text of Kansas welfare measure: http://bit.ly/1H8k7SD .

Kansas Legislature: http://www.kslegislature.org

___

Follow John Hanna on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apjdhanna

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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7 days ago

April 26, 2024

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MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.