A Little Bit Of Dignity
For many years I managed an office that worked with the unemployed, the folks that needed retraining, and folks that received public assistance.
It wasn't an easy job when the economy was in recession. It wasn't an easy job when Miami was being flooded with refugees from Central America, South America, and the Islands. It was only marginally easier when the unemployment rate was lower, employers were hiring, and the government was functioning.
Assistance from the government like unemployment insurance, food assistance, and job retraining in Florida requires that people be eligible for assistance and the assistance is limited in scope and duration.
Today, it was reported that there will be a cut in the amount of food assistance provided to those previously receiving assistance. Some will be cut off entirely, others will have their benefits reduced and greater efforts will be made to get them back into the workforce.
There will always be disagreements about how much of a safety net should be provided, who it should be provided to, and how many hoops people need to jump through to qualify for assistance. It also takes people to administer these programs and bureaucrats are not held in high regard these days.
Individually, some money coming in when you are unemployed, some help buying food for your kids, and maybe some help with tuition if you need to upgrade your skills allows people to retain their dignity during bad times and hold on until times get better.
I don't think anything is gained by making people give up almost all their assets before they are able to qualify for assistance and allowing people to have cars makes sense.
More than a few of these folks live in their cars and the housing situation is bad enough as it is. Doubling up and moving from couch to couch isn't a long term solution either.
It wasn't an easy job when the economy was in recession. It wasn't an easy job when Miami was being flooded with refugees from Central America, South America, and the Islands. It was only marginally easier when the unemployment rate was lower, employers were hiring, and the government was functioning.
Assistance from the government like unemployment insurance, food assistance, and job retraining in Florida requires that people be eligible for assistance and the assistance is limited in scope and duration.
Today, it was reported that there will be a cut in the amount of food assistance provided to those previously receiving assistance. Some will be cut off entirely, others will have their benefits reduced and greater efforts will be made to get them back into the workforce.
There will always be disagreements about how much of a safety net should be provided, who it should be provided to, and how many hoops people need to jump through to qualify for assistance. It also takes people to administer these programs and bureaucrats are not held in high regard these days.
Individually, some money coming in when you are unemployed, some help buying food for your kids, and maybe some help with tuition if you need to upgrade your skills allows people to retain their dignity during bad times and hold on until times get better.
I don't think anything is gained by making people give up almost all their assets before they are able to qualify for assistance and allowing people to have cars makes sense.
More than a few of these folks live in their cars and the housing situation is bad enough as it is. Doubling up and moving from couch to couch isn't a long term solution either.
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