What Are The Four Types Of Public Assistance Programs
Public Assistance Programs
There are many types of public assistance programs in the US today. For example programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or food stamps, Supplemental Security Income, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. All of these programs have one common thing they are means tested which means you must qualify to get this assistance. According to, Karger,& Stoesz (2014). “Public assistance programs are one of the most misunderstood components of the US welfare state. Although expenditures for public assistance programs are far less than a social insurance programs, they tend to be more controversial. Unlike social insurance, public assistance programs are based entirely on need and are means tested” (p.
224).
I can only assume that the spirit of these programs have good intentions, but as we all know there will be some failures to the attempts to help needy people that the programs could not help and I'm so glad to hear that they are success cases in our country. For example, Ottis (2017) writes, “Ms. Fludgate, 62 lived in the upper East side of Manhattan for 40 years she worked at New York University and in 2013 learned that her partner had liver cancer so she quit her job to take care of him, helping him until he died in March 2015, she had no income and resorted to selling of all her belongings and now she is about to be evicted from her home” (p. 1-2). There is a silver lining to this story and according to, Ottis (2017) “Fortunately, in June, she successfully applied for disability and Social Security benefits, And she currently receives $1,570 a month in Social Security, $154 in food stamps and a small stipend from a part-time job as a counselor for seniors, a job that ends this week” (p. 2-3). This is a good example of the programs working.
On the other hand, some say they are failures to our system and according to, Kasich (2016) “But today, it’s clear that our welfare system is still deeply flawed, thanks in part to later changes from Washington. In 2005, Congress pulled power back from the states, reducing local flexibility by enforcing a one-size-fits-all approach that sets arbitrary time limits on education and training for people seeking sustainable employment” (p. 1). He further writes,” As a result, too many lives are thrown away by a rigid and counterproductive system that treats an individual as a number, not as a person who is desperate to gain new skills and opportunities in life” (p. 2). I believe that there is no ultimate solution to helping those in need but this I do know is that we must monitor and prioritize in the spending of resources and that maybe testing each programs that are in place today and see if they are working, and if not, fix it or get rid of it and find other ways to correct the problem.
Questions
1. With taxes being a big political issue can public assistance programs be one way to reduce the federal deficit?
2. In the state of Washington with the issue of education if Gov. Ensley does not succeed in finding the funds to pay for education, can the state government reduce funding for public assistance programs in the state?
There are many types of public assistance programs in the US today. For example programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or food stamps, Supplemental Security Income, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. All of these programs have one common thing they are means tested which means you must qualify to get this assistance. According to, Karger,& Stoesz (2014). “Public assistance programs are one of the most misunderstood components of the US welfare state. Although expenditures for public assistance programs are far less than a social insurance programs, they tend to be more controversial. Unlike social insurance, public assistance programs are based entirely on need and are means tested” (p.
224).
I can only assume that the spirit of these programs have good intentions, but as we all know there will be some failures to the attempts to help needy people that the programs could not help and I'm so glad to hear that they are success cases in our country. For example, Ottis (2017) writes, “Ms. Fludgate, 62 lived in the upper East side of Manhattan for 40 years she worked at New York University and in 2013 learned that her partner had liver cancer so she quit her job to take care of him, helping him until he died in March 2015, she had no income and resorted to selling of all her belongings and now she is about to be evicted from her home” (p. 1-2). There is a silver lining to this story and according to, Ottis (2017) “Fortunately, in June, she successfully applied for disability and Social Security benefits, And she currently receives $1,570 a month in Social Security, $154 in food stamps and a small stipend from a part-time job as a counselor for seniors, a job that ends this week” (p. 2-3). This is a good example of the programs working.
On the other hand, some say they are failures to our system and according to, Kasich (2016) “But today, it’s clear that our welfare system is still deeply flawed, thanks in part to later changes from Washington. In 2005, Congress pulled power back from the states, reducing local flexibility by enforcing a one-size-fits-all approach that sets arbitrary time limits on education and training for people seeking sustainable employment” (p. 1). He further writes,” As a result, too many lives are thrown away by a rigid and counterproductive system that treats an individual as a number, not as a person who is desperate to gain new skills and opportunities in life” (p. 2). I believe that there is no ultimate solution to helping those in need but this I do know is that we must monitor and prioritize in the spending of resources and that maybe testing each programs that are in place today and see if they are working, and if not, fix it or get rid of it and find other ways to correct the problem.
Questions
1. With taxes being a big political issue can public assistance programs be one way to reduce the federal deficit?
2. In the state of Washington with the issue of education if Gov. Ensley does not succeed in finding the funds to pay for education, can the state government reduce funding for public assistance programs in the state?