Poverty is a “dirty” word that brings up different emotions for all. For some, the idea of poverty sickens them. For others, poverty is their everyday struggle.

For all, poverty is a social problem that needs to be addressed, although many have different reasons for addressing it. Those who are poverty stricken often lack the basic necessities required to maintain a standard of living. Nutritious food, drinkable water, and safe housing are things that many who are not on the cusp of losing everything, take for granted.

While assistance may be provided to those in need, there are requirements that must be met for qualification. For instance, under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, support is provided to help those struggling to meet their basic needs.

To qualify for assistance through the TANF program, applicants must meet specific criteria that varies by state. Eligibility in New York requires applicant to be currently pregnant or to currently have an eligible child (minor), be a U.S. citizen, have low or very low income, and be under underemployed or currently unemployed.

In New York, income eligibility requires the applicant to be within 200% of the poverty line. With the poverty guideline for a family of four being $24,600, a family needs to be making less than $49,200 to financially qualify for TANF.

Under the TANF program, states receive block grant funding as a means of supporting recipients into the transition from welfare to the workforce. The core areas of the TANF program involve providing basic assistance for families with children, childcare for low-income families, and work-related activities or supports. Interestingly enough, many states spend less than half the funds provided for TANF programs on its core areas. In 2017, New York spent less than 10% of the Federal and State funds on Work Assistance programs (2.9%) and Child Care programs (7%).

Luckily, New York makes up for their lack of Work Assistance and Child Care programs by utilizing 28.6% of Federal and State TANF funds to help with basic assistance. Of the remaining balance allotted for TANF benefits, nearly 28% of funds are used to provide refundable tax credits. Other services funds are used for including program management (8.8%), Pre-kindergarten and Head Start (9.2%), Child Welfare Services (5.7%), and various other services.

While worthy, these investments are taking away from the core areas TANF seeks to address. By utilizing funding for other aspects, New York is taking away from the goal of TANF, assisting participants in moving from welfare-based programs into the workforce.

Last year, New York was ranked 35th out of 51 (including the District of Columbia) for overall poverty rate. This translates to 14.1% of the population (or 2,722,257 people) are living in poverty. Poverty needs to be addressed on a broader level to assist those struggling to make ends meet. New York needs to step up and allocate more resources to the core areas of TANF to help bolster a sense of self-sufficiency and to address basic needs that are not being met.

Jessica Lynn Smith

Former Potsdam resident