Welfare
Reform
A Position Paper of the Florida Catholic Conference
The Florida
Catholic Conference strongly supports genuine welfare reform that protects
vulnerable children, strengthens families, and encourages productive
work. Federal and state governments have a necessary role in assuring
adequate nutrition, clothing, housing, and health care to poor children
and people in need, and in discouraging dependency in those capable of
being independent. Florida's Work & Gain Economic Self-Sufficiency
(WAGES) program has been charged with restructuring a failed welfare
system and establishing locally designed programs tailored to the needs of
families working toward self-sufficiency. But success cannot be measured
only by the number of people who go off welfare rolls. Families making a
good faith effort to transition from public assistance to self-sufficiency
face significant obstacles.
Many Floridians are working but not making enough to make ends meet.
Addressing this disparity will be critical to the long-term success of
welfare reform. Helping WAGES recipients prepare for and assume jobs that
pay a livable wage is one of the major challenges ahead. Vocational
education, transportation, meeting health care needs, and child care
services which are flexible are critical issues to be addressed to ensure
successful transition for welfare recipients. Issues such as teen
pregnancy prevention through abstinence education and prevention of
domestic violence must be part of the long-term plan to improve lives of
Floridians.
Catholic Charities' agencies are the largest nonpublic providers of
human services to poor families in Florida. We will work in partnership
wherever possible with the twenty-four local WAGES coalitions in helping
families escape welfare and poverty.
The Bishops of Florida stated in their 1995 statement, "Reform of the
Welfare System," that welfare reform should respect human dignity and the
intrinsic worth of each and every person. No family should ever be
penalized for giving birth to and nurturing a baby while receiving
benefits. The well-being of children must be a major priority in
reforming of the welfare system and in dealing with families. Single
parent families and extended families raising children in the absence of
one or both parents, need continued support and recognition. Strong child
support enforcement is essential for a successful social welfare system in
today's world, as is the encouragement of responsible parenting.
In their 1995 statement, "Reform of the Welfare System," the Bishops
of Florida urge legislators to adopt the following principles in their
efforts to reform the welfare system:
• Government has a proper role in assuring adequate nutrition, clothing,
housing and health care to poor children and people in need, and in
discouraging dependency in those capable of being independent.
• The family is the basic unit of society. Welfare reform should affirm
the value of intact families, personal responsibility and sexual
restraint; it should respect human dignity and the intrinsic worth of each
and every person. No family should ever be penalized for giving birth to
and nurturing a baby while receiving benefits.
• The well-being of children must be a major priority in any reforming of
the welfare system and in dealing with families. Single parent families
and extended families raising children in the absence of one or both
parents, need continued support and recognition.
• Financial benefits and community support services are needed to enable
people to make the transition from welfare to work, and to then maintain
self-sufficiency. There are people unable to support themselves, for whom
society has historically provided, going back to biblical times. Rigid
time limits should not be applied to terminate welfare benefits for a
person unable to maintain self sufficiency due to age, disability,
sickness or lack of job opportunity.
• Strong child support enforcement is essential for a successful social
welfare system in today's world, as is the encouragement of responsible
parenting.
• Immigrants in Florida should not be discriminated against in the reform
of the welfare system, and should not be made scapegoats for society's
problems. Undocumented aliens are excluded from most welfare programs
today, but especially health services and education for children should
continue to be furnished.
Catholic Charities and Catholic churches will not abandon our principles
or our commitment to poor children and families. We will continue to
share our convictions on human life and dignity, on work and family, and
on the responsibilities and limitations of government. We will continue
to reach out to those in need with renewed urgency and creativity. We
will serve the poor with dignity, economy and effectiveness.
Accordingly, the Florida Catholic Conference holds that Welfare
Reform proposals must:
• Give highest priority to the well-being of children
• Protect human life and human dignity
• Promote intact families and the nurturing of children
• Provide adequate health care, child care, and affordable housing
• Not impose rigid time limits, which will terminate welfare benefits.
• Not penalize any family for giving birth to and nurturing a baby while
receiving benefits
• Provide employment at just wages
• Provide strong enforcement of child-support
