Last Stand for General Assistance

By MB -
June 28, 2012 Update - Representative Murt has introduced an amendment that could save part of GA. If you support this amendment please call your state legislator immediately.  To learn more, visit http://bit.ly/NGz6UZ 

Our friends at PA Cares for All are taking a last stand (or several last stands) against ending General Assistance, a program of last-resort that provides a bridge to stability and self-sufficiency for over 68,000 Pennsylvanians without children who are sick or disabled; domestic violence survivors fleeing abuse; and individuals who are in alcohol and other drug programs. If you are interested in keeping GA in Pennsylvania, please consider one of the following actions:
  • Sign On to A Letter Against Cutting General Assistance:  Michael Froehlich at Community Legal Services is collecting signatures for the letter below, which will then be sent to Governor Corbett.  If you would like to sign on, please email him. The letter is below:
Dear Governor Corbett:
We are writing you today with a critical request. We understand that your administration has proposed eliminating General Assistance, the last resort program for 70,000 Pennsylvanians with disabilities. Yesterday, the Department of Public Welfare released a draft operations memorandum to stop General Assistance effective July 1 with no advance notice or warning. Most people who receive General Assistance will learn that their General Assistance has ended when they go to withdraw their money to pay their rent in July. We urge you to reconsider this action and provide at least 30 days notice to these individuals that their sole source of income will be stopped.
The abrupt termination of General Assistance without notice will cause extreme chaos and confusion. Here in Philadelphia, for example, 35,097 people will lose their sole source of income overnight. Our shelter system and network of human services providers are simply not equipped to deal with this sudden and enormous demand for their services.
Individuals receiving General Assistance have already been found to be disabled by their doctors and temporarily unable to work. It will be very difficult for these individuals to find jobs immediately, especially with 475,000 other Pennsylvanians currently out of work.
  • Join the Vigil and Rally at Senator Pileggi’s Chester Office on June 27: Women from domestic violence programs, people with disabilities, and advocates for fairness from throughout Southeast Pennsylvania will be gathering together at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, June 27, at the Senator’s Chester City office, 415 Avenue of the States, Chester, PA 19013. This location is near the SEPTA train station and on major bus routes.
  • Call and Fax Senator Pileggi’s District Office on Wednesday: Simply say who you are, and why you are looking to Senator Pileggi to take the moral high road by reinstating General Assistance. Regardless of your voting district, as Senate Leader, he can help protect those most in need. His district office telephone is 610-447-5845; the fax is 610-447-5848.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PathWays PA E-Newsletter: August 6, 2012

By -
Image
Federal Policy Updates  CONGRESS IN AGREEMENT TO WORK ON A 6-MONTH CONTINUING RESOLUTION Last week House and Senate leaders announced that a deal has been reached to pass a 6-month continuing resolution to fund the federal government through next spring. Details of the agreement have not yet been made public, but the continuing resolution will reportedly fund federal agencies at current spending levels. With both chambers of Congress on summer recess, a vote on the agreement will likely be held in September, before the end of the fiscal year. If this agreement is enacted it will ensure that the government will not be shutdown at the end of September when the current spending plan ends. HELP MOVE THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT FORWARD The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) needs to be reauthorized to ensure the continuation of vital, life-saving programs and laws. It was the first piece of American legislation that recognized the pervasive nature of domestic violence,
Read more

Mini-Budget Update-Supporting the American Community Survey

By MB -
Image
(via The Census Project ) Next Tuesday, June 19 is an important date to mark on your calendar. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee is holding a public hearing on the economic impact of eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS) at 2:30 p.m., in Room 210 of the Canon House Office Building. Witnesses that will be speaking in opposition to the move to eliminate the ACS are Vincent Barabba, former director of the Census Bureau in two GOP administrations and Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Association of General Contractors and also representing the National Association of Business Economists. It is very important that we pack the congressional hearing room! If you cannot come, please urge your colleages to come. If you represent a non-DC organization contact your friends in Washington and urge them to attend. Also on Tuesday of next week some of our congressional supporters will be holding a noon press conference in the so-called House Triangle right outside the Cap
Read more

Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania

By -
Image
Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click here  to read the 2020 O
Read more