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LETTERS Change brings apprehension to public aid recipients Hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans who need help from state government are having their lives turned upside down July 1. This is the result of two simultaneous occurrences: the new Department of Human Services reorganization and the new Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) plan. Change always brings apprehension. Apprehension is inevitably increased when details regarding the changes are not made available. The public does not know what final form the human services department reorganization will take. The department is supposed to be up and running by July 1. Add to this that, as of May 27, the final draft of the TANF plan was not approved by the General Assembly. Thousands of Illinoisans do not know what will be expected from them after July 1. All of the clients of the agencies that will be merged into the Department of Human Services face an uncertain future. Recipients of Public Aid face all these same uncertainties and more. With the federally mandated welfare repeal/reform, also to start on July 1, all public aid clients face more than uncertainty; they face cancellation of their benefits, their life-source. To further add to the confusion, the final draft of the TANF plan was submitted on the last day to meet the federal deadline. The dual reform process is comparable to a surgeon performing a new procedure while the hospital is being built around the surgery. People who have comfortable homes, reliable cars and well-paying jobs are planning, talking, guessing and gambling with others' lives. Clients find out much too late about decisions that will set them up for failure, and put them in danger of living on the streets. They have not really had much of an opportunity to sit at the bargaining table, only brief and unproductive meetings meant to pacify them. The stakes are high. Many families who will be sanctioned and lose benefits will be forced to live on the streets. Voices for Illinois Children estimates 50,000 more children could be forced into poverty and put at imminent risk of being homeless. If reform ideally means change for the better, Illinois must be careful. We saw in Wisconsin last winter how homelessness increased because of a welfare reform plan that did not achieve its goals. Now that Memorial Day has passed, many Illinoisans are planning their summer outings with family and friends. Unfortunately, many impoverished families and children are wondering when, or where, they will wake up. Maybe in a shelter today, an aban- doned building tomorrow. This is a very sad picture for people who live in a state that is part of America.
Matthew Hanafee
Illinois Issues July/August 1997 /35 Stripping benefits from the neediest In less than 60 days, disabled and elderly people living legally in the United States will begin losing Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and food stamps. In the name of welfare reform, the U.S. government is changing the rules for the most frail, most needy and least powerful of its residents. We, as members of the statewide coalition Work, Welfare and Families, believe this is inhumane and wrong. Half of Illinois' foreign-born SSI recipients are 75 years old or older. Clearly, stripping these people of benefits does not accomplish the intent of welfare reform, which is to move people into jobs and off the welfare rolls. The elderly and people with disabilities will not return to work. Denying food stamps to working poor immigrant families also does little to accomplish the goal of welfare reform. It punishes working poor immigrants for no reason other than their citizenship status. The federal government set August 22 as the date most legal residents will lose benefits. The proposed federal budget deal has agreed to reinstate some benefits for legal residents who became disabled after entering this country and some elderly who may have disabling conditions. Although a step in the right direction, this is not enough to prevent many elderly from losing their only source of income and food. The federal government has pushed the responsibility for providing a safety net for legal immigrants to the states. Because of the fiscal implications, the states should protest and require the federal government to take it back. After all, the states don't have authority to set immigration policy. But in the meantime, Gov. Jim Edgar must take a leadership role in support of proposed legislation that provides cash, medical and nutrition assistance to foreign-born residents losing SSI, food stamps and medical benefits because of federal welfare changes. Ironically, ending benefits for foreign-born residents in Illinois could cost the government more than it will save. For example, ending SSI benefits for foreign-born elderly (84 percent of whom are currently living independently) could lead many people who lose their cash assistance to move into institutions, their expenses covered by Medicaid. Denying legal immigrants access to food and medical assistance increases the strain on our municipalities and townships. Though the state and federal government may eliminate access to benefits, they cannot erase the need for assistance. Perhaps simple math will win out, if fairness and compassion aren't sufficient reasons to reverse this ill-conceived policy.
Barbara Otto
Moving downstate up With the recent legislative failure to effectively change how Illinois' education is funded, one may now feel like moving or retiring. After years of struggle you may think the "window of opportunity" for change has closed forever. I believe it has just flown open. The so-called "collar counties" in northern Illinois do not deserve to be a part of downstate's rich heritage. Their leaders' actions to defeat school funding equity and property tax relief is sinful. Here's my plan. I make a motion that all Illinois land north of Interstate 80 be ejected from the great state of Illinois and suggest that area call itself the great state of "Collar." We downstate would now become upstate. We would finally be able to rule ourselves. There's only one problem. When traveling out of state people often ask, "Where do you live?" It is unreasonable for me to expect people who live out of state to know where Delavan is located. So, my first response is, "Due south of Pekin and East Peoria." When receiving a blank stare and confused silence, my next directions are, "Due north of Springfield and west of Bloomington." When those directions receive a half crooked smile, I respond, "I live south of Chicago." Herein lies my problem. Under my plan, Chicago is in the great state of "Collar." With the state boundary change, I'm sure it will take 10 or 20 years for everyone in the country to learn where the great city of Delavan is. Until then, I can only hope and imagine this learning process will be much quicker when we get rid of those prunes north of 1-80 like Lee Daniels and James "Pate" Philip. I feel sorry for people like Michael J. Madigan up in Chicago (now the great state of "Collar"). He wanted to help solve this school funding mess with Gov. Jim Edgar and many other good people. Do I hear a motion to make Chicago the first "territory" of this great state of Illinois. Seconded! All in favor, say "Aye."
Kimble Alexander
36 / July/August 1997 Illinois Issues |
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