Introduction
TANF IS NOT A MODEL TO REDUCE POVERTY.
Introduction
Through this web quest, scholars will gain a better understanding of how TANF is further suppressing low-income families and have the opportunity to discuss ideas to improve TANF so that it meets the needs of low-income families.
A Better Understanding of TANF
From the onset, there was concern TANF would not deliver on its objective to move more recipients to employment. There was also worry that disciplinary actions taken against recipients who failed to find work would create a hole in the financial safety net for families who were low income. There is a developing national consensus that TANF is not a model to reduce poverty. The program’s role as a safety net is also far less substantial than when it was first enacted(even then it was problematic for blacks) and now the program serves a small percentage of families who are low income.
Task
- To Gain A Better Understanding Of How TANF is Further Oppressing Low-income families Please Read the Articles Below.
A better Understanding:
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Pear, R. (2016, May 20) This author's article is detrimental to this argument because it articulates the program’s role as a safety net is far less substantial than when it was first enacted and now the program serves a small percentage of families who are low income. TANF, like AFCD and ADA before it, is still an extension of Jim Crow, it is not designed to truly help those in need instead it further suppresses.
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Carten, A. (2020, November 1) This authors article is relevant because it reveals a scenario that was problematic for black Americans because of the inescapable racial discrimination in employment in the decades of the 1930s and 1940s
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Pavetti, L. D., & Trisi, D. (2012, March 14) these authors article is important to this claim because it discusses Reagan’s proclamations that the homeless were living on the streets by choice played to conventional insight about the causes of poverty, blamed poor people for their own adversity and aided in the depreciation of the government programs to help the poor. The demographic shift in the welfare roles aggravated the politics around welfare and racialized the debate. This emotionally fueled environment imbalanced the poverty debate, and paved the way for a reform bill that many saw as disproportionately punitive in its harsh treatment of poor families.
LIST 3 CONS OF TANF :
- disciplinary actions are taken against recipients who failed to find work.
- fathers who were delinquent in child support payments were vulnerable to incarceration.
- the amount of the TANF benefit is less than half of the official poverty line (Pavetti & Trisi, 2012).
Process
FIRST
- Visit this website, and read
We should stop punishing the poor and claiming it's for their own good by Rekha Basu
THEN
- Watch this video, and write down a few important facts Prof. Sean Mulholland stated when discussing the family on TANF:
- teenage son had worked additional hours at his part-time job, and that little bit of extra money reduced the public assistance that the family was eligible for
- Instead of experiencing a gradual decline in benefits as their earnings increase, the government abruptly strips the benefits away
NOW ..
As a social worker what (2) NASW core values are NEEDED to properly advocate for change in policy and why?
- Service - being of service implies that we will help people in need by addressing issues of TANF.
- Important of Human Relationship- is important when discussing the issues of TANF because as a social worker we are going to need to sit in with policymakers and make suggestions on policies such as TANF that is affecting the population of people we work with.
Evaluation
Discuss ideas to improve TANF so that meets the needs of low-income families
After visiting the websites, reviewing the articles, and watching the video...
We now can advocate a few scholarly recommendations to strengthen TANF so it better services low-income families such as:
- Expanding the definition of work under TANF to include higher education
English as second language courses, literacy, vocational training, and elementary and secondary education.
- Addressing barriers that keep people joining TANF from being employed
including physical and mental illness, disabilities, substance abuse, and domestic and sexual violence.
- lift sanctions that deny aid to children whose parents participate in activities reasoned inappropriate.
- Reinstating federal funding for assistance to documented immigrant populations.
- Most importantly, make child poverty reduction an explicit goal of the TANF program.
Somewhat unbelievably, reducing child poverty is not one of TANF’s core purposes but it should be. This would signal states to refocus the program to make more progress on an important, measurable outcome.
Conclusion
In summary,
Due to the strong American work ethic, and preference for a “hand up” versus a “hand-out,” the cash aid programs for poor families have never been popular among Americans. U.S. welfare policy is as much a reflection of its economic policies as it is of the nation’s upsetting history of racism. The concept that anyone who is willing to work hard can be rich played a role in sabotaging adequate policy development for poor families and has been particularly harmful to poor black families. However, as social workers, we can advocate for changes to strengthen TANF.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Scholars, you are:
- now informed on how TANF is failing to deliver on its objective to reduce poverty.
- able to properly advocate ways to implement change within the policy.
Credits
CREATED BY JENASHA T. FREEMAN
Basu, R. (2017, August 26). Basu: We should stop punishing the poor and claiming it's for their own good. Des Moines Register. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/rekha-basu/2…;
Carten, A. (2020, November 1). How racism has shaped welfare policy in America since 1935. https://theconversation.com/how-racism-has-shaped-welfare-policy-in-ame….
LearnLiberty. (2014, May 27). Working More to Earn Less | Why the Poor Stay Poor | Learn Liberty. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH-3HlrnHQs.
Pavetti, L. D., & Trisi, D. (2012, March 14). TANF Weakening as a Safety Net for Poor Families. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/tanf-weakening-as-a-safety-net-for-poor-f….
Pear, R. (2016, May 20). Political Rifts Over Bill Clinton's Welfare Law Resurface as Aid Shrinks. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/21/us/politics/welfare-arizona-bill-hil….