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By Kate Atkins, Third and State
Since the Great Depression, Pennsylvania has had a General Assistance (GA) program — a small cash benefit that serves as a bridge to self-sufficiency for the temporarily disabled and for victims of domestic violence and addicts seeking help to turn their lives around.
Photo: Images of Money / Flickr
Since the Great Depression. Until late last month when state lawmakers adopted a new budget.
That budget will end Pennsylvania’s modest benefit for 68,000 people, effective August 1. At $205 per month, nobody was getting rich from the program. Here is a sample of who is using General Assistance and why:
* A disabled military veteran in Lancaster County, who applied for General Assistance to get him through until his Social Security disability benefits were approved.
* A waitress in her 50s who was diagnosed with breast cancer and used General Assistance when she could not work as she was receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatment. After about nine months, she was able to return to work.
* Good Samaritans who are caring for children not related to them — perhaps children of a close friend of neighbor. Many of these children are now likely to end up in the foster care system.
* A very focused group of young women I saw at a recent rally in Delaware County, who chanted: “Pennsylvania, we need GA. We’re in treatment, we need to stay!”
* A former addict whose recovery was aided by General Assistance who is now employed in a job that allows him to pay taxes, support his daughter, and help others struggling with addiction.
* “I didn’t need a couple days of rehab; I needed long-term care,” recalled Jake Fleming, care manager for NorthEast Treatment Centers and a former addict. “General assistance saved my life.”
The state ended the year with a $649 million surplus, more than enough to preserve the General Assistance program. Instead, the legislature chose to end the program, likely increasing the state’s overall spending as people facing very challenging life circumstances end up in emergency rooms, prisons, and inpatient mental health facilities.
As the changes go into effect August 1, this promises to be a hard summer for tens of thousands of people.
5 Comments
I believe the verse goes something like, “What you do to the least of these, you do to me.” The WWJD crowd forgets that verse from Matthew all the f-ing time.
GA saves lives? Pffft!/s
Not a priority these days, doncha know.
I’ve yet to see clear evidence that they’ve ever read it. I once quoted the Beatitudes to a fundie. His response was, “Where did you get that liberal crap?” These people have no idea what their alleged savior told them.
The Republicans aren’t conservatives, they’re nihilists. And the Democrats aren’t liberals, they’re corporate lackeys. What a spectacular cluster****.
Eh? All the good fundy so-called “libertarians” (which includes my entire extended family who mostly all live in PA, and yes, some are very very good friends with Icky Ricky Santorum) in PA would say: why the EFF should I have to pay for these *clearly lazy slackers who have their hand out looking for free money*?????? NOT providing these lazy bums with GA is the “Lord’s way.” It’s good for their souls.
I am quoting almost verbatim bc, believe me, I *hear it* all the time, esp as we walk out of “church” on Sunday.
Commie hippie Jesus was a socialist. My family’s Doug Coe “Fellowship” “churches” all preach almost solely from the Old Testament, where their “god” is “jealous” and vengeful and very hateful.
Get with the program, sheeples.