Idea: New option for Welfare - take free tuition in place of money

Just an idea that popped into my head.

What if a person who is on Welfare could opt to either receive the money (as they do now) or free tuition to a college/technical school of their choice in lieu of money ?

I mean, the details could be worked out so that the costs are kept in line, but is this a good idea?

I got this idea from the old saying:
"Give a man a fish, and he will be hungry tomorrow.
Teach a man to fish, and he will never be hungry again."

Obviously, the kinks would have to be worked out for such a complex process, but as a whole, I think that's a very smart thing to do.

:thumbsup:

how does one have shelter? People who receive welfare are at a place where survival...very basic survival is at stake...and are not able to even consider such options.

... just sayin.

that would be 'room and board'.

So day care has to be added in as well. The sad thing is that all of this was in place back in the 60's and 70's and then we tossed it out due to that first dumbass reagan and all of his follow-ons including our own bill clinton.

Welfare queens you know: cadillacs etc.

Many colleges have day-cares and accept waivers. So child-care during the day isn't the problem. As long as the parent has no night classes.

My understading of the day care programs at colleges is that their way to full, and it's hard for even faculty to get their kids in, let alone their students.

But I think it's a great idea.

Wasn't somebody talking about federalizing daycare awhile back.

waivers can be used at many, many day care centers that accept them.

Maybe it's because I'm in Mississippi, but most day care centers here accept waivers.

Did that dorm provide formula to babies, diapers to toddlers, and baby Tylenol when the infant gets sick?

in the past which provided the basic necessities to families who's head of household (usually Mom) was being trained for sustainable employment- But it got gutted during the "welfare reform" which happened under the Clinton Administration- due to pressure from the Republican legislature-

It is almost impossible to get 'welfare' if you are a single person, who is not disabled- at least in any location I'm aware of- So, while 'room & board' would be a great solution for the rare single person, it wouldn't address the complicated issues that face most people who have to resort to welfare- (I WAS one of those people- and will live off the street rather than have to go through that ever again- my youngest child is now 13 so things are different).

I can honestly say that no one I met in my journey through the system WANTED to be there- or stay there- or imagined they'd ever find themselves there. I can also say that my sons are incredibly 'responsible' and thrifty- They have an appreciation for the simple things in life that I don't believe they'd have had otherwise.

We as a society need to stop judging each other by the material possessions we have, or encouraging such gluttony- and help everyone to find ways in which they can use their 'strengths' and 'passion' to enrich each other, while being rewarded with a living wage. People don't get to choose what family they are born into- or their parent(s)- The difference between those who struggle and those who meet with societal success is often far more than a persons 'initiative'- it's hard to climb the ladder when you start out in a deep hole, with people circling the edge criticizing you for being 'in need'-

Sorry for the long tangent- I love your idealism- and hope you speak for many who seek to make positive changes to an age old dilemma-

thanks-
blu

Actually you got there first.

And while it is possible to sleep in the library or the student union, this also gets difficult. I don't see how 'in place of money' works. Welfare, at one time, allowed one to go to school and be on welfare. Now that was a good idea.

You have to be a full-time student and perform community service or be involved in their works program. The "community service" definition is wide open, and can be fulfilled by working with an instructor, who signs a sheet of paper claiming that the student is an assistant for x-number of hours per week.

If the law hasn't changed in the past couple of years, this still works.

the kind of help you are describing ended in NH back before * took office-

There is no 'welfare to work' program that I have heard of since 'welfare reform' passed through the federal govt. back in the 90's- when I was initially an 'AFDC' Mom, back in '96 one existed- but it's been gone for years- which is a real shame. Especially in very rural areas- where childcare and learning opportunities are rare at best-

But I could be wrong. I thought 'welfare reform' basically rendered the program near useless.

States are able to define what is considered "work" and what is not.

Job training in Mississippi is considered "work." Therefore, college hours and any other associated activities (such as assisting a professor in one's area of study) are considered "work." As late as last summer, I signed weekly forms for a student who was meeting regulations of Mississippi's "welfare to work" law.

The hours-per-week may have been increased (can't really remember whether I was signing for twenty or 30 hours per week), but that option was still open to students as late as last summer.

If the laws have changed since then, I'd be very interested to read about them.

in place.

Families which are poor enough receive Pell grants. Community colleges and vo-tech colleges deduct the tuition expense from the Pell.

Getting rid of Pell is tantamount to keeping the poor out of college.

Full-time college attendance counts as a "works program" that exempts the parent from the other work requirements of the Welfare Reform Act. In the case that the student is required to attend full-time and perform 20 hours of work, the student can TA for a professor or instructor, and those hours count toward the necessary hours to stay on TANF.

I understand the sentiment behind your proposal, but free tuition won't buy baby medicine, diapers, and other necessities that parents need while they raise their children. That's what TANF is for.

But the system can kick you off the rolls if you make ONE DOLLAR above the qualifying income level. I've seen it firsthand. There is no "gray" area, with partial benefits; you're either on it or off it.

In order to take advantage of such a program, one would still have to be able to maintain a household on a limited income that doesn't kick you off the rolls, and thus disqualifies you for benefits.

Good idea, just not under the system as it exists today.

It's all pretty self defeating.

We were on welfare just before the 'big reform'. What pissed me off about the reform was that the means to ween recipients off permanently were already in place before the fix.

In the late eighties, the different agencies didn't talk to each other. The folks at the AFDC office never told me I was automatically eligible for JTPA training. I learned that at the unemployment office. I had no idea I was also eligible for housing assitance. I found that out from my sister's mother-in-law. I found out about WIC from the health department when I got my TB test to take another shitty job in a restaurant.

We were on Welfare for two years. During that time we received $260.00 AFDC per month, $260.00 in food stamps and our general medical bills and were covered by Medicaid. I found WIC on my own. With that I paid for an apartment and bought food and that was about it. I took out loans and attended cosmetology school because JTPA would only pay for my college if I chose to be a nurse or a waitress. Just the same, when I got my first hairdressing job, I went off Welfare and all was well.

I really don't think I could do that now, namely because AFDC in Texas is still about $260.00 per month per child. Also, I think JTPA (Job Training Partnership Act) is dead now. I could be wrong. I am full of gin. ;)

Thanks to Reagan, everyone thinks being on aid is a cake walk.

My girlfriend at the time was a single mom, and I got her a gig doing freelance work. She could have made good money if the work was steady, but the work was feast-or-famine and nothing reliable that could provide for her and her son.

She went over the income limit ONCE, one month, and almost lost her subsidized apartment. She had to jump through so many hoops to prove that making that much money was an aberration, that month. Talk about demeaning, and frustrating.

Another friend decided to open a day care in her building; since she was paying so much for day care herself, she figured she could stay home and help other single moms too.

Nuh-uh. They told her that she would lose her apartment if she did that. She asked, why bother even trying to work, then? After day care, she actually would've come out ahead if she just stayed home with her daughter and just cashed checks. They didn't have an answer for her.

I honestly think that a national day care system would help families immensely.

Kudos to you, it's not an easy system to navigate and even harder to get out of.

and child care as most are single mothers.

We pay for the room, board, and tuition of welfare recipients, and their children.

I could go for that, but good luck getting republicans to.

It actually works that way now with regular welfare.

There's never been an idea that doesn't have problems to be overcome. Some ideas don't work, of course, even when they're good, but I didn't want you to get down because people here are, you know, DUers, with all the nitpickyness and absolutism that goes with it.

so what do we do?

Its a nice idea, but its not the right solution.

I'd like to see free tuition for all who want it.