Marc Cooper responds

[pms]

At 08:35 AM 2/1/99 -0800, you wrote:
>
>
>Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
>
>> An excellent post! The only qualification I would add is that means-tested
>> govt. social programs have been also run as if they were private charities,
>> even before the 'welfare reform.'
>>
>> As far as I know, never in the history of US welfare programs has everyone
>> who is legally entitled to assistance received it, and not simply because
>> of technical mistakes on the part of social workers. In fact, the gap
>> (between entitlement and actual delivery of assistance/service) grew bigger
>> in the era of working-class acquiescence, and it became narrower when
>> social movements were on their upsurge. I wish folks had publicized this
>> fact more when we still had a slim chance to save AFDC: welfare programs
>> have always been severely underused.
>
>  Yoshie,
>
>Point well taken and I agree wholeheartedly.   Do you know of any books or
>research done on this aspect of public welfare?
>
>I've tried to promote the idea of local oversight boards that would be
>composed of those on these programs as well as other members of a
community to
>hold government agencies accountable.  To my knowledge, nothing  like this
>exists, but we do need some watchdogs with the power to intervene with unfair
>bureaucracy practices and to make people aware of what their rights are.
>
>Marta
>
>

Marta, 

Several years ago(during the Bush adm.) the Atlanta Regional
Commission(ARC), through their something or other, on Ageing, did an SSI
outreach program here in East Point.  That's when I first realized that we
had a high proportion of poor people, also a lot of elderly.

I was a volunteer, and coordinated other volunteers.  During training I
learned that, I'm sorry I can't remember the figure, but, a lot of people
who were eligible for SSI were not receiving it. I was really shocked cause
you had to have a very low income($400/mo I think) to qualify.  So like,
what were these folks living on?

I was real excited to be involved in something so basically useful, but it
turned out to be bullshit. 

The first thing I noticed was that the people who were volunteering,
probably for brownie points, that worked for various gov't agencies, like
the Housing Authority, hated poor people, openly.  Maybe more disrespected
poor people, openly.

Then there was the follow up.  I was suppose to assist folks who needed to
apply. No one ever contacted me.  I called a couple of times, and the lady
who ran the show ate at the rest. and I asked her a couple of times, but
they never got to the part where people actually got signed up for the
program.  I've always had the feeling that the loss of interest came from
higher up than Patrice.

During the training and outreach, several DC muckety mucks showed up, and
seemed impressed, so I guess Patrice(the ARC woman) got something out of
it, but I'd venture to say she was the only one.  Well, several folks
probably got brownie points, but I doubt many poor folks were helped.

Then there was the time I volunteered at a day program for developmentally
disabled adults, and the main activity was bible study.  This was a state
supported program.  But that's another post.

Still looking for my niche-p