Asset requirements create obstacles for those needing aid

Asset requirements create obstacles for those needing aid

A recent article from Minnesota talks about the states challenge of asset requirements and the impact it has on those who need government aid. From the Star Tribune:

As the Great Recession ensnares more middle-class families, how far does a family need to fall before the public safety net kicks in?

Many government programs have requirements for families to spend down much of their savings before they can qualify for temporary assistance. Advocates say these tests undermine a family's ability to bounce back from financial setbacks in the future.

Minnesota's food support program -- better known as food stamps -- is a case in point. To qualify for the assistance, Minnesotans need to have assets below $7,000 -- which amounts to a few months of mortgage payments for many.

"These are really troubled times and people maybe just need help for just a short period," said Colleen Moriarty, executive director of Hunger Solutions Minnesota. "We don't want to throw people into abject poverty forever."

A draft study on hunger from Second Harvest Heartland found that if the food stamp test was eliminated, between 75,000 and 87,000 low-income Minnesotans would qualify for the public assistance. That would bring an estimated $154 million in economic activity into the state, as families buy more food and stores hire more workers. The federal government pays for the food stamp program, though states set their own rules and administer it.

It is time to revisit the methods for which our states qualify our neediest residents for aid. For many, receiving aid means liquidating virtually all of ones assets in order to qualify. When you eliminate your only means left of financial stability, what's left for you to move on with your life?

If anything, asset requirements create residents who depend on assistance longer, as they are left with nothing to move on. We need to rethink what qualifications should exist for our aid programs and consider making changes.

Read the full article:

http://www.startribune.com/business/86669707.html?elr=KArks:DCiU1OiP:DiiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Poetry on Poverty from Japan

The Japanese have contributed much to our world's culture. The cherry trees which fill our nation's capital are a sign of friendship between our two countries and were a gift from Japan. (By the by, the Japanese name for their country is: Nihon or Nippon.)

For the Japanese, their most revered holiday is the New Year. On December 31, 1975, I had the pleasure of witnessing a portion of the Buddhist's New Year's Eve ceremonies at the Daibutsu, the Great Buddha, in Kamakura which is not far from Tokyo. Actually, there were hundreds of thousands of people present, so I did not witness the ceremony, could not get close to the monks, only the pageantry of the celebrants in their holiday best kimonos. Imagine, if you will, a sea of brightly colored kimonos. It inspired me to write this Haiku many years later:

Michigan Sunset Praise
(Daibutsu New Year’s Parade – déjà vu)

Flush spring tree blossoms
Sunset spotlight, blacken’d sky
God’s kimonos praise.

The Japanese have a long tradition and appreciation of poetry. The feudal lords of that country often employed a court poet, perhaps something like our poet laureate.

One such poet was Matsuo Basho who lived from 1644-1694. On-line, I have read that Basho is a sobriquet (kind of like Mark Twain.) The name Basho means banana tree.

In his poetry, Basho-san explored many human feelings including compassion for the problems of the poor:

Poverty's child -
he starts to grind the rice,
and gazes at the moon.

Poverty Rates in Great Start Readiness Programs

The State of Michigan publishes a report which lists and ranks school districts participating in the Great Starts Readiness program by their percentage of children served in the program who come from families in poverty.

Here is a sample of school districts from Southwest Michigan. Again, this is the percentage of children in the school's Great Start Readiness pre-school who are in poverty homes:

98.4% - Benton Harbor
90.0% - Covert
75.0% - Battle Creek
66.2% - Hartford
63.1% - Kalamazoo
59.1% - Sturgis
50.3% - Three Rivers
49.2% - South Haven
39.5% - Allegan
27.9% - Edwardsburg
12.2% - Mattawan

The full report can be found at:

www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/rptRankOrderListForEnhancedAlloc_259021_7.pdf

Mobile dental clinic to start service in Kalamazoo County next week

From the Kalamazoo Gazette:

The long-awaited mobile dental clinic should be on the road in Kalamazoo next week, county officials said.

The 40-foot-long RV that has two dentist chairs, a laboratory and a small waiting room is expected to arrive on Sunday, according to Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services.

The mobile clinic will travel to elementary and middle schools at Kalamazoo Public Schools, starting Wednesday with Lincoln International Studies School.

For the first time, children will be able to get cavities filled — instead of just their teeth cleaned — at school, said Bonnie Dykehouse, the county dental clinic’s program manager.

The mobile clinic will target underserved children whose families cannot afford dental care.

In future years, the clinic could expand to visit other school districts besides Kalamazoo, Dykehouse said. It is starting with KPS because the health department already has a dental program set up to serve the district’s children.

Read the full article:

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/03/mobile_dental_clinic_to_start.html

Program helps homeless vets find jobs

Program helps homeless vets find jobs

A West Michigan group is trying to get some veterans back on their feet, considering they put their lives on the line for the United States.

The program is funded by No Worker Left Behind, and is a partnership between Michigan Works!, Michigan State University and the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth.

The program educates homeless veterans so they might be able to get hired.

"It's made me nervous," said Robert Lee, a program participant. "I'm totally out of my comfort level."

Video link:

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kalamazoo_and_battle_creek/Program-helps-homeless-vets-find-jobs

U.S. plans new measure for poverty

U.S. plans new measure for poverty

From the NY Times:

The federal government announced on Tuesday that it would begin producing an experimental measurement of poverty next year, a step toward the first overhaul of the formula since it was developed nearly a half-century ago by an obscure civil servant in the Social Security Administration.

While the original definition — the cash income collected by a family or individual — will remain the official statistical measure for eligibility and distribution of federal assistance for the time being, “the new supplemental poverty measure will provide an alternative lens to understand poverty and measure the effects of antipoverty policies,” said Rebecca Blank, the under secretary of commerce for economic affairs.

Advocates for the poor and technical experts have argued for years that the original standard, developed in conjunction with the Johnson administration’s War on Poverty, was anachronistic. The civil servant who created it, Mollie Orshansky, based it on the Agriculture Department’s cheapest meal plan, on the assumption that the average family spent a third of its income on food at the time. Her formula has largely remained the same except for inflation adjustments.

The Poverty Reduction Initiative has advocated for a change to the Federal Poverty Measure for many years. The problems with the current standard are numerous. In some instances, it undervalues poverty by failing to account for costs such as shelter, transportation, medical expenses and clothing. In others, it overvalues poverty by failing to account for recipients of services, which can effectively boost incomes over the poverty level.

A new measure would allow the government, non-profit agencies and other human service initiatives a more accurate look into the needs of both specific families and diverse communities. Hopefully the "test run" this fall will prove just how valuable a new measure would be to supporting the needs of millions of Americans.

Read the full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/us/03poverty.html?scp=3&sq=poverty&st=cse

Study: Poverty in childhood can shape neurobiology

A recent study presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting demonstrated the effects that poverty can have on a child's neurobiology:

Living in poverty can shape the neurobiology of a developing child "in powerful ways," affecting children's behavior, health and how well they do later in life, a new study shows.

U.S. researchers found what they called "a biology of misfortune" among adults who were poor as children, particularly if they lived in poverty before the age of 5, the study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) shows.

Early childhood is a"crucial time for establishing the brain architecture that shape's children's future cognitive, social and emotional well-being," the study says.

"Children growing up in a disadvantaged setting show disproportionate levels of reactivity to stress, and it shows at the level of hormonal studies, neurological brain imaging studies and at the level of epigenetic profiling," said Thomas Boyce, of the University of British Columbia.

Thankfully, legislatures supported the continuation of funding for Early Childhood Education programs in the State of Michigan's Budget earlier this fall. If this study's results are true, then not only are we talking about the economic future of our children but of their social and cognitive abilities as well. Heavy levels of stress that children suffer in poverty have very long-term consequences that potentially create mental barriers for the rest of their life.

The researchers studied data on more than 1,500 individuals born between 1968 and 1975 taken from a 40-year demographic study of U.S. households that measured family income during every year of childhood, educational attainment, what level people reached in their careers, plus crime and health as adults.

They found "striking differences" in how the children's lives turned out as adults, depending on whether they were poor or comfortably well-off before the age of 6.

"Compared to children whose families had incomes of at least twice the poverty line during their early childhood, poor children complete two fewer years of schooling, work 451 fewer hours per year, earn less than half as much," the study said.

They also received more than $800 a year more in food stamps as adults, and were more than twice as likely to report poor overall health or high levels of psychological distress, the study said.

Poor children were also fatter than their more affluent counterparts, and were more likely to be overweight as adults.

And the litany of misfortunes continues, with poor males twice as likely to be arrested and poor women six times more likely than their more affluent age-group peers to have a child out of wedlock.

The study also found that it was possible to positively shape the futures of poor children, by giving the families of under-fives additional income. About 4 million children in the United States lived in poverty in 2007.

Read the full article:

http://www.news24.com/Content/SciTech/News/1132/9cbf7c95f98d4d87a65e16b326436fc6/22-02-2010-07-15/Poverty_affects_kids_success

Habitat for Humanity seeing fewer applicants

Habitat for Humanity is struggling to find families to become owners of new homes. The Kalamazoo Gazette Reports:

A sluggish economy has led to fewer families seeking to partner with Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity to build their own homes, said Don Jones, the organization’s executive director.

“Families have dialed back and are unwilling to sign on for a major financial commitment,” Jones said.

It’s the first time in a decade that Kalamazoo’s Habitat affiliate is without the desired number of families to partner with to build new homes, said Ann Kilkuskie, the organization’s development director. To close that gap, the agency has stepped up efforts to promote the affordable-housing program to those who qualify.

Kalamazoo Habitat is not the only city which is struggling:

The Battle Creek Area Habitat for Humanity also has struggled in the last 18 months “to get a full slate of homeowners for our houses,” said Art Pearce, the agency’s executive director. Officials with Habitat for Humanity of Michigan say the majority of the state’s 77 affiliates are experiencing a similar downturn in applicants.

The fear of buying a Habitat-built home seems somewhat misguided, as the homes are often more affordable than many apartment complexes which would offer much less. The idea of a long-term financial commitment could be scaring families, though logically they have to be paying for rent someone else if they need a home anyway. Additionally, some of Habitats requirements are not be possible for families who have to work a lot of hours to support their income.

“When you do the Habitat math and factor in a zero-percentage mortgage, a house sold at no profit and down payment assistance, you’re looking at a $450 a month house payment,” Jones said. “It’s the same math whether it’s tough or great economic times.”

To qualify to partner with Habitat to build a home, individuals must meet certain criteria, including the ability to make monthly house payments and a commitment of between 300 and 500 hours of “sweat equity” hours toward their home. Jones said participants also must attend classes on home ownership and financing and fall within income guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Read the full Kalamazoo Gazette article:

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/02/economy_stalls_affordable-hous.html

Justice: A Poem by Langston Hughes

February was Black History month celebrated in the United States and Canada.

As a final tribute, I thought I would share a poem from one of my favorite poets: Langston Hughes.

Justice

That justice is a blind goddess
Is a thing to which we black are wise:
Her bandage hides two festering sores
That once perhaps were eyes.


Mr. Hughes died in 1967. My guess is that if Mr. Hughes were alive today, he would not be bashful about what he would perceive as the injustice of a legal system in which so many young minority men are incarcerated, often for lack of adequate legal assistance.

More information about Mr. Hughes can be found at:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes

Expelled Students in Southern Berrien County Given a Chance at Fresh Start

"For students who have found themselves caught up in trouble and expelled from the classroom, a program called Fresh Start has been helping those kids start over.

In fact, the program has been helping students from many area schools, including Niles, Brandywine, Buchanan and even Berrien Springs for 15 years and Friday (February 26) an open house will be held for interested parents and students who want to get a second chance at their education."

The full story may be found in the Niles Daily Star at:

www.nilesstar.com/2010/02/25/an-open-house-for-a-fresh-start/