Wednesday, May 16, 2012
By Derek Thomas, Policy Analyst
dthomas@incap.org
Last night, WISH-TV’s I-Team 8,
in Indianapolis, reported
on a 4-month investigation into how recipients
of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) were withdrawing money from
ATM’s in “questionable places”, such as strip clubs, liquor stores and casinos, which is already illegal under state law.
Because reports very similar to this are being reported around the nation, we thought we should respond on behalf of the nearly 1,000,000 Hoosiers that live in poverty, and the nearly 2.25 million that are not economically self-sufficient—a more accurate measure of poverty.
As reported, there is already a state law in
place to prevent these withdrawals. Therefore, the solution should be for the
responsible agency, Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), to find
ways to enforce existing laws instead of further restricting access.
We recently reported in our Status of WorkingFamilies in Indiana, 2011 report that, among other factors, tens of
thousands of Hoosiers were unnecessarily placed into poverty during the recession due to punitive
policy measures enacted by the state, which ultimately restricted and discouraged
participation in work support programs, such as TANF. These programs are designed to respond to
economic downturns through increased participation, and decreased participation
when the economy begins to recover.
Yet, and this is important,
Indiana was among a handful of states that actually saw decreases in TANF participation during the recession (despite a
103 percent increase in unemployment). Indiana’s poverty rates soared during the recession. That is, a 24 percent increase
since 2007, which is greater than all surroundings states and the 12th
largest increase in the nation. Indiana also saw a 52 percent increase since 2000, which is the 6th largest increase in the nation.
No doubt, it is unfortunate that
certain individuals take advantage of these programs. However, it’s important to remember that
WISH-TV’s story represents less than 1 percent of TANF cash withdrawals, and over 99 percent of the 12,000 struggling families who are receiving assistance are honest
stewards of taxpayer dollars.
Therefore, policymakers should be looking into deficiencies in program oversight rather than penalizing the honest recipients of TANF. In order for Indiana to truly recover from this recession’s lasting effects and prepare for a more prosperous future, Indiana should choose to invest in its workers and their families by strengthening public policies related to work support programs rather than making them more restrictive.
Not to mention, that recipients of assistance often live in urban areas where the closest ATM may in fact be inside of a liquor store or other "questionable places." Besides, if policy doesn't dictate how the funds can be spent, why does it matter where they are withdrawn? If the assistance was distributed in cash, would this even be an issue? Does such a limited negative impact on an overall effective and positive program warrant a 4 month investigation and a call for action to the state house? Talk about misappropriation of resources...
ReplyDeleteWe have a tenant who is my age (56) and she just recently was able to qualify for help with medical problems due to her being hit by a truck because she had a twenty year old drug charge against her. She served her time--8 months--but was banned from government health care. The State has a longer memory than the mafia.
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