Tightened eligibility limits imposed on Arizona's welfare program due to budget cuts result in fewer families receiving benefits.
A state Department of Economic Security report says 5,796 families lost cash assistance from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program because of eligibility changes that took effect midsummer.
The changes include reducing the lifetime limit for recipients to 36 months from 60 months and eliminating women who are in their third-trimester of pregnancy and don't have other children.
KaptainRandom posted at 8:49 am on Fri, Sep 10, 2010.
There was a short time,
I was a single parent,
Myself, my child needed help for a couple months,
DES, TANF, every other government agency purporting to help families in need told me,
Quit your job and we can help you!!!
How is that helping,
These programs are designed to keep people on the government dole,
not help them get on their own,
We ate oranges off the trees for 3 weeks
Carolyn posted at 9:52 am on Fri, Sep 10, 2010.
Just GREAT, and typical of Arizona with its conservative majority in the House and Senate. Cutting off people from welfare during a time when there are few jobs is horrendous. Typical conservative thinking (or lack thereof). But then, they have never cared for people in need OR working people.
albundy posted at 10:39 am on Fri, Sep 10, 2010.
Maybe they can fill those 1000 or more jobs McDonalds.
tototue2 posted at 10:46 am on Fri, Sep 10, 2010.
Many yrs ago I was on welfare for a short time because my husband and I were separated. I have one child so I received a monthly check plus food stamps. After we got back together and moved to Az we filed our tax papers. I drew welfare in another state and we moved to Az for "a better life". We were due a refund but the state (we filed on and moved from) kept our refund for the welfare I had drawn. I do not feel bad about drawing a penny in my short period of need because it was all paid back. Maybe this state should look into something like that for their recooping of funds to help the budget.
Just Me posted at 2:58 pm on Fri, Sep 10, 2010.
tototue2 - So let me get this straight. You took taxpayer money, were taxed on it, and then expected a refund for it and when you were denied you felt you paid it back? You do get that you were taxed on our money not your own so you did not pay anything at all. I now see how it was so easy for a Muslim communist to become a US president. Does anyone engage their frontal lobes anymore?
jlmealer posted at 4:01 pm on Fri, Sep 10, 2010.
JL MEALER 2012
longtime mesa posted at 6:49 pm on Fri, Sep 10, 2010.
I know this might seem slightly off topic, but we, as a country, could save billions in welfare costs by ending birthright citizenship to the babies of illegal aliens.
Liberals are always touting the compassion of welfare & other government handouts, but they are really designed to keep poor people from breaking out of the poverty cycle and dependent on the government.
Sparky posted at 10:00 pm on Fri, Sep 10, 2010.
Speaking of moving to AZ for a better life, that is exactly what I and my Spouse are doing. No jobs in Wisconsin, all levels of government are failing, and the rich don't care if their employees don't eat every day. Picking fresh oranges off a tree would be a new experience for me. I just hope I can find a job that pays ok and the Boss is human.
Sparky posted at 10:16 pm on Fri, Sep 10, 2010.
By the way, love the "Al Bundy" name , don't Bundy that book! [scared][scared]
beachdude posted at 11:49 pm on Fri, Sep 10, 2010.
Were any of these people illegals with anchor babies?
Poorman posted at 6:32 am on Sat, Sep 11, 2010.
Seems to me the key words are Temporary assistance,not forever assistance,how long is temporary?
madblogger posted at 3:25 pm on Sat, Sep 11, 2010.
Thats messed up. Give these people jobs
Wild Woman posted at 9:04 am on Sun, Sep 12, 2010.
I no longer live in AZ, but I'm throwing my 2cents in anyway.
When we moved to AZ 16/17 yrs ago. I got a job that barely covered the rent. We applied for Food Stamps and we also recieved a food basket. We were tickled pink just to have food in the house. We were paying our rent weekly then every 2 weeks, then got to monthly and finely paid-off our deposit.
We recieved the Food Stamps for 1 cycle then didn't renew the app. But it sure was nice to have that helping hand when we needed it.
LarryCroft posted at 10:14 pm on Mon, Sep 13, 2010.
Hey, what gives? Wasn't the Messiah, our (acting) president, going to give all of us a free ride on everything - not just healthcare?
RollerCam posted at 1:04 pm on Tue, Sep 14, 2010.
Yes, Carolyn. Republicans are mean and evil and Democrats are good. Anyone with a "D" after their name really, really WUVZ U.
twocents posted at 2:34 pm on Tue, Sep 14, 2010.
I'm a single disabled mother with a social security income of $694 each month. I have a 7 year old son who has no income at all, he receives no child support. He has now been denied the $103 of cash assistance the state was providing him aside from the $16 of food stamps he gets each month. The state has no money in their budget to help my child? Why then when he is taken from me will they provide the foster placement $700 of cash and at least $200 of food stamps each month for the same child?