Income Security
Income Security programs provide a social safety net for low-income individuals and families in need of assistance. Examples of these vital programs include:
- Public assistance/welfare and SSI
- Nutrition assistance programs including SNAP (Food Stamps) and emergency food
- Supportive services including child care and transportation
Recent Advocacy: FPWA is working toward making welfare accessible to those who need it. Only a small fraction of income eligible households can get through the difficult application process and receive critically needed assistance. FPWA has created the Access to Assistance Campaign to focus its advocacy on minimizing the multitude of barriers households face in the application process, and punitive case sanctioning process that plunges families deeper into poverty. Policy Documents:
Recommendations: - End Durational Sanctions and strengthen sanction prevention protections
- Count educational activities including 4 year college to count toward fulfilling work requirements. Include classroom and homework hours.
- Eliminate the 185% of Standard of Need (SON) income eligibility requirement for Public Assistance
- Increase the Earned Income Disregard (EID) and extend it to all households, including those without dependent children
Fact Sheet: Key Facts on Income Security pdf (32307 bytes) Listen: City Watch WBAI 99.5 FM Radio, Liz Accles discusses state budget proposal’s impacting low-income families - Mar 12, 2011
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