Special section on
welfare-to-work:

This article originally appeared in the May-June 2001 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.

Reforming welfare reform

By Jean Tepperman

The California Welfare Justice Coalition is a statewide network of low-income parents and advocates who have been meeting to map strategies for next year, when the federal welfare-reform law comes up for reauthorization.

Draft Platform

Here is a brief summary of some of the ways the groups want to change the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (called CalWORKs in California).

1 Stop the clock. Eliminate time limits for parents who are working, going to school or job training, have physical or learning disabilities, or have children with disabilities—also for parents whose needs for support services aren't being met or who live in an area with a 10 percent unemployment rate.

2 End the "work first" approach (see "Work first" vs. education and training)and oppose privatization. Education, including ESL, should count as a work activity. Parents should not be forced to take jobs by for-profit companies contracting to provide welfare services.

3 Reduce poverty, not caseloads. Measure success and reward programs according to how much they reduce poverty. Create living-wage jobs, raise the welfare "income ceiling," and reform policies on "sanctions" and fraud detection.

4 Maintain current level of welfare funding and use unspent funds for supportive services such as housing and child care.

5 Ensure equal access to supportive services for immigrants and refugees, including information and services in their own languages.

6 Provide decent wages for the caring work people do in their families. Give social security credit and living wages to mothers or others who care for family members.

Mother's Day Action -- Saturday, May 12

In various California cities, groups advocating for low-income parents will hold a "day of community action to voice our opinions about the welfare system and TANF Reauthorization" on the day before Mother's Day.

For a copy of the full platform, information about the Mother's Day action, or other information on the Welfare Justice Coalition, contact any of the organizations listed below, under Advocates for low-income parents.

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Advocates for low-income parents

Welfare reform has sparked the creation of many groups that advocate for low-income parents and involve parents in countywide and statewide advocacy efforts. Other community groups have also become involved in welfare advocacy. Many of these groups are now attending statewide meetings to develop proposals for change in the federal welfare reform law next year. Some of these groups:

• Coalition for Ethical Welfare Reform (CEWR), San Francisco, 415-239-5099

• Low Income Families' Empowerment Through Education (LIFETIME), San Francisco, (advises and advocates for low-income single parents who want to go to school), 415-452-5192; San Jose, 408-286-7726

• California Coalition of Welfare Rights Organizations (CCWRO), Sacramento (advocates for individuals statewide), 916-736-0616

• ACORN, Los Angeles, 213-747-4211

• Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness, Los Angeles, 213-439-1070

• Centro La Familia Advocacy, Fresno, 559-237-2961

• Supportive Parents Information Network, San Diego, 619-285-1003.

In addition to groups like these, legal services organizations in many communities advocate for families on welfare.

• Child Care Law Center, San Francisco, advocates for parents statewide, specifically on child care issues, 415-495-5498

• Western Center on Law and Poverty does legal and legislative advocacy for low-income families, Los Angeles, 213-487-7211; Sacramento 916-442-0753

Human Services Alliance of Los Angeles, does not directly advocate for people on welfare, but does research on welfare reform and works to improve services, 213-202-5920

Action Alliance
for Children
e-mail aac@4children.org
1201 Martin Luther
King Jr. Way
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 444-7136