States Seek To Cushion Poor From Pitfalls of Poverty
By: Tommy Elder, Jr.
As their approach to lifting and keeping people out of poverty- the State of Arkansas employs a system that will grant welfare recipients $ 204 a month and bonuses for remaining on the job for at least two years. The New York Times reports that Jack Tweedle of the National Conference of State Legislatures advises states of problems related to poverty. Currently, he coaches Arkansas on this problem.
Many states adopted the practice of providing cash payments to buttress what their clients receive from welfare payments. Proponents of low-income individuals, however, note that assistance comes in at such a paltry level that several states place their emphasis on meeting federal work requirements instead of helping the working poor. ``Federal officials say the programs may siphon money from the welfare recipients they were intended to serve.``
Concerning this issue- Liz Schott, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said of the welfare aid- `Is it nominal, or is it an amount that will really help?`
Some people such as Sidonie Squier, the leader of an agency monitoring public assistance condemned what she called ``accounting tricks to meet federal mandates.`` Currently, approximately one-third of the 2,334 individuals enrolled after 2006 left the program due to factors such as not holding to a job, lacking sufficient work hours, or just deciding to leave the initiative.
According to the program`s leaders- enrollees wrestle to locate and retain quality jobs due to ``limited education and work experience.``
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