Welfare law to take effect

Over 15,000 Philadelphians will lose assistance tomorrow as a statewide benefits cap is enforced. As the clock ticks down for the more than 15,000 Philadelphians who will be cut from state welfare rolls tomorrow, the city is busy preparing for a situation that officials say they "don't have the ability to bear." A 1997 Pennsylvania state law, passed as a result of President Clinton's 1996 welfare reform bill, takes away welfare benefits for people who have been receiving them for two consecutive years. Once those two years are up, recipients can receive additional benefits for three more years only as long as they are engaged in 20 hours a week of specified "work activity." Tomorrow is the two-year anniversary of the state bill going into effect. But officials and community leaders have maintained that the jobs simply do not exist. "It's a prescription for disaster," said Kevin Feeley, a spokesperson for Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell. "It has a ripple effect all across city government. It is the train wreck that has been expected to come for two years. It's a very, very scary situation." According to a recent study by the Harrisburg-based Keystone Research Center, Philadelphia's unemployed outnumber available jobs by a 3-to-1 ratio. The figure is 6-to-1 for jobs that pay enough to support a family -- wages between $8.83 and $12.29 per hour. For years, Philadelphia has been burdened by high unemployment and low job growth. But Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare spokesperson Susan Aspey defended the law, noting that if recipients follow the new rules, the legislation will help rather than hurt them. "I think there's a lot of predictions of gloom and doom out there and that's just not going to happen," Aspey said. Aspey described the law as "a very compassionate approach to welfare," explaining that the state will defray the cost of child care and transportation in order to help people find permanent jobs that will make them self-sufficient. "It pays to work," Aspey added. "We're doing everything to reach out and help individuals but they've got to reach out too and help themselves." Recipients who exceed the two-year period will be required to meet with a caseworker to discuss ways of meeting the work rule and getting off welfare. People then have 10 days to find some type of work -- ranging from paid jobs to on-the-job training to community service -- or they will be required to attend a job search program. Ultimately, those who do not make any attempt to follow the necessary procedures will temporarily lose cash assistance and, after three violations, lose cash assistance forever. "If people are defiant and don't want to to follow the rules, the state is not to blame," Aspey said. The law also says that cash assistance is only available for a lifetime total of five years; after that, people must support themselves. Though the state Department of Public Welfare approximates that 23,106 Philadelphians will hit the two-year mark tomorrow, about 6,800 of them -- single parents without child care and people with mental or physical disabilities, among others -- will qualify for a temporary exemption from the law. Donna Cooper, Philadelphia's deputy mayor for policy and planning, voiced her disapproval with the law, explaining that many problems could result from miscommunication between caseworkers and welfare clients. "The ability of someone to succeed [under the legislation] depends on their caseworker," Cooper said. "There's no telling whether a caseworker will understand. Up until now, they haven't." Cooper estimated that roughly 90 percent of welfare recipients are single mothers and echoed the worries of many people who say that crime and homelessness could rise due to the law's effect. "Every day, more women hit their two-year clock," she said. "We're going to have a lot of stress and confusion. We can hope we don't see any tragedy, but when women are faced with the fact that they may not be able to feed their children, we may see something tragic." Sue Gibbons, the board president of the homeless-advocacy group University City Hospitality Coalition, said while she supports the law's intent, the thousands of people expected to be cut off may not be adequately prepared for the competitive job market. "I think that the ideas behind the law are good ones," said Gibbons, whose organization cares for the homeless and needy in University City. "I think that a great deal of time needs to be spent on training people for sustainable jobs and that's where I think the rub is." As the law goes into effect, opponents are organizing a demonstration to be held in Center City tomorrow morning. The "funeral procession and civil disobedience," as it is being billed, will form at the State Office Building at Broad and Spring Garden streets and will end at the Liberty Bell at 5th and Market streets.

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