Victory stolen: MFIP increase in 2015

Welfare Rights Committee gets first welfare cash increase since 1986.
Victory stolen: Politicians set increase for 2015

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Because of the Welfare Rights Committee’s fierce battle at the State Capitol, the first increase for welfare since 1986 has passed.  May 17, the House passed the Health and Human Services Finance bill. The bill includes a housing allowance for MFIP families (Minnesota’s welfare program for poor families).

 

Turning the tide

It is a victory in that it turns the tide after 27 years of no grant increase. Legislative backers of the bill have declared that this is only a start.  It is because of the relentless and persistent work of the WRC that this first cash increase passed.  We exposed the theft of federal TANF (welfare) dollars and the extreme poverty of MN MFIP families.  Our message has been heard and we will make sure it continues to be heard!

Two more years of ‘Extreme Poverty’

However, the fact that it won’t help a single person for 2 years is an outrage. While it as an acknowledgement that the cash MFIP grants that poor families get don’t even come close to covering rent, it is cynical in the extreme in that it actively condemn kids to homelessness for another 2 years.

Welfare grants should be double

If the welfare grants had kept up with inflation since 1986, the year of the last increase, they would be double. The cash grant levels keep over 70,000 MN children in extreme poverty. A cash MFIP grant for a family of two is $437 per month.  WRC fought to double the grants.

Cowardly election politics

The Welfare Rights Committee has been fighting to increase the grants since last summer. We introduced a bill to double the grants. We struggled with legislators until the bitter end to get even this increase. We  originally had a cash increase in the House bill set to start right away.  One reason for the disappointing two-year wait before the increase takes effect is the cowardly legislative leadership putting election politics before people. We had to continually urge and re-convince legislators to do right thing, after 27 years.

The Poverty Industry

Another barrier to the success of our bill to double the grants was interference from the “Poverty Industry” – agencies and other areas of government that use funds meant for poor families for their businesses or their “studies.”

Stolen TANF money

The federal money meant for welfare, the TANF block grant, has been raided for years. Only 28% of the TANF fund goes directly to actual people in need. Our work caused many legislators – Democrats and Republican – to question this misuse of TANF funds.

Bailing out the rich, again

The legislature and the governor clearly dance to the tune of the rich. They use regressive taxes to give General Fund money to billionaire stadium owners, then turn around and tell homeless kids that there won’t be money to help them for two years. We will take this truth to the streets, and continue to demand justice.  This is just the beginning.  We will keep up the fight to  “Raise the Welfare Grants” until poor families in MN get the justice we deserve!

Budget deal reached: Use the extra $ to raise the grants!

Today, Sunday, May 12, legislative leaders and the governor announced they that reached a budget deal. Included in the deal is what looks to be about $100 million more going to the overall Health and Human Services budget than the legislators were working with before.

Remember, we spent the last few of weeks asking leadership to increase the HHS targets – with some success, as today’s deal shows. Thank you!

Now we need make sure they use that money for the first welfare grant increase in 27 years.

So please contact the conference committee members again, this time with the message:

“Now that the HHS budget target has been increased, I am calling on you to use that money to increase the MFIP grants for poor families. The grants have not gone up in 27 years. Over 70,000 kids are living in extreme poverty because of the low welfare grants. Use the general fund money to start paying back TANF money that has been stolen over the years. Please increase the grants this year.”

Rep. Jim Abeler, rep.jim.abeler@house.mn 651-296-1729

Rep. Tina Liebling, rep.tina.liebling@house.mn 651-296-0573

Rep. Rena Moran, rep.rena.moran@house.mn 651-296-5158

Rep. Thomas Huntley, rep.thomas.huntley@house.mn 651-296-2228

Rep. Diane Loeffler, rep.diane.loeffler@house.mn 651-296-4219

Sen. Melisa Franzen, sen.melisa.franzen@senate.mn 651-296-6238

Sen. Tony Lourey, sen.tony.lourey@senate.mn 651-296-0293

Sen. Melissa Wiklund, sen.melissa.wiklund@senate.mn 651-297-8061

Sen. Jeff Hayden, sen.jeff.hayden@senate.mn 651-296-4261

Sen. Kathy Sheran, sen.kathy.sheran@senate.mn 651-296-6153

May 6: Call Rep. Thissen today! Stop HHS cuts.

“Rep. Thissen: Stop the HHS cuts!” Please call/email Thissen today.

Please contact Rep. Paul Thissen today.

651-296-5375 or email rep.paul.thissen@house.mn

Tell him to

– Stop cuts to HHS.

– Stop blocking increased Health and Human Services targets.

– Stop playing politics: Represent the people of Minnesota instead.

“Representative Thissen:

We call on you to undo the cuts to the HHS budget. Stop blocking increased Health and Human Services targets. Stop playing politics: Represent the people of Minnesota instead.

In addition we call on you to support an increase to the MFIP cash grants this year! 27 years is 27 years too long. Stop extreme poverty for 70,000 children.”

Thank you,

Welfare Rights committee

Action alert May 3 and May 4

TELL Governor and Legislators to Bring 70,000 MN Children Out of Extreme Poverty – 27 years with no increase: Raise the Welfare Grants Now.

#1 Action step: Keep contacting Dayton
651-201-3400

Ask Governor Dayton to push for more money for Health and Human Services.

You could say, “In your negotiations with the legislative leadership, I want you to insist on higher General Fund targets for Health and Human services. Poor, elderly and disabled families are already suffering, and the House and Senate both cut more for programs that serve us.”

Right now, Governor Mark Dayton and the legislative leadership are negotiating about the overall state budget. Both the House and the Senate budget targets shorted the health and human services area, which will result to cuts to poor elderly and disabled people. The result of today’s negotiations could be more money in the Health and Human Services budget targets. This would help in our fight to “Raise the Welfare Grants!”

#2 Action step: Contact the conferees

The conference committee is meeting in the mornings and evenings to settle the differences between the House and Senate version of the health and human services bills. They won’t take much action until the final budget targets are settled – so be sure to take Action Step #1. But please also contact the conferees and tell them we need action on a grant increase this year.They will be meeting Saturday, too, so if you can’t call them all today, call them Saturday.

Here is what you could say: “MFIP [EM-fip] grants need a substantial increase this year. The money for a grant increase is in the TANF [TAN-ef] fund. Any increase in the budget targets should be used to pay back the years of thefts from TANF and should go directly to an immediate grant increase for poor families. Until the final target is decided, please support both the House and Senate positions as far as the grant increase goes. The rental assistance in the House version will help many families. It will make sure that $20 million of the TANF money is going to directly to families in need, instead of being siphoned off for things that should be paid for by the General Fund.”

Rep. Jim Abeler, rep.jim.abeler@house.mn 651-296-1729
Rep. Tina Liebling, rep.tina.liebling@house.mn 651-296-0573
Rep. Rena Moran, rep.rena.moran@house.mn 651-296-5158
Rep. Thomas Huntley, rep.thomas.huntley@house.mn 651-296-2228
Rep. Diane Loeffler, rep.diane.loeffler@house.mn 651-296-4219
Sen. Melisa Franzen, sen.melisa.franzen@senate.mn 651-296-6238
Sen. Tony Lourey, sen.tony.lourey@senate.mn 651-296-0293
Sen. Melissa Wiklund, sen.melissa.wiklund@senate.mn 651-297-8061
Sen. Jeff Hayden, sen.jeff.hayden@senate.mn 651-296-4261
Sen. Kathy Sheran, sen.kathy.sheran@senate.mn 651-296-6153

#3 What is in the Senate bill and the House bill

Our position is that there should be a substantial increase in the MFIP cash grants this year. Both the House and Senate bills fall short of that, but are better than nothing.
The Senate bill has a 16% grant increase that doesn’t start until October 2015. We say, this increase should start in 2013. If the TANF money was used for TANF families, it would more than cover an immediate increase. In fact it would almost cover a 100% increase, which is needed to keep up with the cost of living since 1986 (the last time the grants were raised).

The House bill gives some families a housing allowance to help with high housing costs. The money for this House provision is TANF money that is currently going to counties in the form of the Support Services county block grant. When the Republicans put this into place, it was a way to steal TANF money that should have been used for poor families to supplant county and state spending on programs for the poor.

Some things in the Support Services grant, such as Emergency Assistance, should be protected.However we are completely opposed to TANF dollars being used for other “services” at the expense of the children and families in poverty.In 2012,$30 million more went to these “services” than was spent on cash grants for ALL of the families receiving MFIP(100,000 individuals).In 2012 only 27 % of the total federal TANF dollars was given to the families in the form of cash grants. Meanwhile over 100,000 people were living in extreme poverty.

TANF money should go to TANF families! Raise the grants!

May 1 & 2: Please call Gov. Dayton

Please call Governor Dayton today: 651-201-3400

Ask him to push for more money for Health and Human Services.
You could say,
“In your negotiations with the legislative leadership, I want you to insist on higher General Fund targets for Health and Human services. Poor, elderly and disabled families are already suffering, and the House and Senate both cut more for programs that serve us.”

Starting today, Governor Mark Dayton and the legislative leadership are negotiating about the overall state budget. Both the House and the Senate budget targets shorted the health and human services area, which will result to cuts to poor elderly and disabled people. The result of today’s negotiations could be more money in the Health and Human Services budget targets. This would help in our fight to “Raise the Welfare Grants!”

Thank you!

Legislative update 4-12-2013

House of Representatives Update: On April 12 the House Health and Human passed an amendment that would provide a grant increase for people who have high housing costs! Thanks to everyone who called and emailed Rep. Huntley and your own legislators!

Senate Update: On Monday, April 8, the Senate Health and Human Services Finance Division voted to consider SF165, the bill to increase the MFIP grants, for possible inclusion into the omnibus bill. Senator Lourey will present his final proposal on Monday, April 15.

Contact Senator Tony Lourey. Urge him to include a substantial MFIP grant increase in the Senate HHS final budget bill.
651-296-0293, sen.tony.lourey@senate.mn

Please remind him that the money is there, in the TANF fund, if only it was used for the right thing. Click here for info on where the TANF money going.

Background:
–Thousands of children in Minnesota are living in extreme poverty. One bill could change all that.
–The cash grants for children and their caregivers in Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) have not been increased since 1986 – 27 years ago.
–Meanwhile the cost of living has more than DOUBLED since 1986.
–The federal money that is supposed to go to poor families (the TANF money) has been raided year after year for other things – TANF $ should go to TANF families!

Quit stealing TANF $ from the poor

click here for pdf version

TANF $ should be used for TANF families!
Increase the MFIP grants.

According to figures from the DHS, in 2012, only 27% of the annual Federal TANF block grant funds went to cash grants for MN families in poverty. Over the past decade, hundreds of millions of dollars have been taken from Minnesota’s TANF block grant to supplant the General Fund spending that used to go to other programs. Meanwhile, there has been no cash grant increase to families for 27 years.

  • Only  $73 million of the $263 million TANF grant went to family cash grants.
  • $71 million was directly transferred to other funds.
  • $101 million went to “Support Services.”
  • $12 million went to the Health Department
  • $2.5 million went to other programs, not related to cash grants.
  • $ 4.8 million went to administration.

Some of these are worthy programs, but why take money that should be going directly to the 70,000 children who are living in EXTREME poverty?

  • $101 million of TANF for Support Services – $30 million more than goes to cash grants. The DHS list of “Support Services” includes things like Adult Basic Education, GED, job training, work search and “help accessing other services.” Why is the money coming out of TANF to pay for education? Why isn’t that money coming from the education budget like it does for everyone else? Why is money coming out of TANF for job search and work-related activities, instead of coming out of the Dept that deals with employment – the Department that deals with everyone else’s work-related activities?

Meanwhile, the MFIP grants for the poorest of the poor have not been increased since 1986 – 27 years ago.

  • $12 million of TANF for studies about “health disparities” and visiting nurses: Why is TANF money going to the medical establishment to look at health disparities, when it’s obvious that extreme poverty is the crushing health problem? Why are visiting nurses being paid for with TANF? Why aren’t these being paid for by the Health Department, like they are for everyone else?

Meanwhile, the MFIP grants keep families 70% below the poverty level, or in “Extreme Poverty”

  • $23 million of TANF for the Working Family Credit: Why is TANF paying for the Working Family Tax Credits; why is that not money being covered in the Tax Committee?

Meanwhile, while the grants have been the same since 1986, the cost of living has DOUBLED.

  • $44 million of TANF for Childcare and Development: Why is TANF going to Childcare and Development costs? These services should be funded by the General Fund, as they were in the past.

Meanwhile, 70,000 children are living in Extreme Poverty

  • $4.7 million of TANF to Federal Title XX: Again, this is TANF money going to the Social Services Block Grant that used to be General Fund.

Meanwhile, a family of 2 gets $437 per month in cash to live on – for rent, utilities, transportation, clothing, hygiene, school supplies, laundry, transportation…everything.

The legislature is putting education as a big priority this year. How are our children, who are living in extreme poverty, supposed to get any kind of education when they don’t a stable roof over their heads, when they don’t have food, when they are in constant transition, constant crisis and undergoing constant stress? You can put all the money you want into education, but if you are dealing with hunger, homelessness and childhood stress, you don’t have much of a chance for success.

Increasing the grants will save money.

                Homelessness: The monthly MFIP cash grant for a family of 2 is $437 – not enough to even pay for “couch surfing,” when you have kids. The monthly cost for family in a Hennepin county homeless shelter is over $3000 per month.

                Other Costs: You can also figure the cost from poverty-stricken families to the networks for health crises, domestic violence, food shelves, crisis nurseries etc.

Finally, raising the grants will get families off welfare and into work much faster. Being trapped in extreme poverty puts families in a deep hole that is nearly impossible to get out of. It’s hard to look for work when we can’t keep our phones on, when we are moving from place to place, when we don’t have money for transportation, hygiene, laundry, or anything else.

Give back the TANF money to TANF families.

Increase the welfare grants. We call on the Governor, the House and the Senate to undo the years of the TANF shift to other areas. Do what needs to be done to give back the TANF money to TANF families. The present and future for 70,000 Minnesota children would be brighter with your action.

Welfare Rights Committee – 612-822-8020

WelfareRightsMN.com

DFL-ville action: Monday, April 15

DFL-ville action:
Monday, April 15
12 noon to 1 pm
MN State Capitol

DFL brings more homelessness, hunger & poverty to Minnesota!
DEMAND:Raise the Welfare Grants!
Stops Cuts to Poor and Working People

Join the Welfare Rights Committee and others in constructing a “Democrat-ville” — a homeless village to show how terrible these cuts have been under the Republicans and how bad they will continue to be under the Democrats’ budget proposals. If you can, bring large cardboard boxes, tarps, blankets and especially, children’s clothes, toys and blankets for the Democrat-ville homeless village.

Raise the Welfare Grants!
We call on MN politicians to end extreme poverty for 70,000 Minnesota’s children now. IT CAN BE DONE, if they pass HF433 and SF165, which increase the MFIP (welfare) cash grants in MN for the first time in 27 years!

Stop Cuts to Poor and Working People!
In the years when the Republicans ruled, they tried to slash public programs and repress our rights. Now the Democrats are in control. Instead of doing the right thing, their current budget targets show that they have turned their backs on the poor, elderly and people with disabilities.

Hearing on bill to “Raise the Grants” Monday, April 8

Next hearing on bill to “Raise the Grants” Monday, April 8
6:00 p.m.
Senate Health and Human Services Finance Division
State Capitol, Room 107

On Monday night, our bill, SF165, will be heard by the Senate Health and Human Services Finance division. We will be testifying, along with others. Please come and show your support for the bill to “Raise the Grants!”