Washington Dc Tanf Program
Washington Dc Tanf Program Georgia
Tanf Benefits By Family Size Dc 2019
For more than 40 years, the narrative—the idea of a benefit recipient defrauding the government and living large on the public’s dime—has shaped discussions about and perceptions of who is worthy of support.But in reality, struggle to make ends meet.In March, I was part of team of researchers who interviewed Washington, DC, mothers who receive TANF, typically about $150 a month. They shared their experiences receiving TANF in DC and the impact living in poverty has on them and their children.Poverty takes an enormous toll on. Every mother faced high stress levels caused by unsuccessful employment searches, unstable housing, health issues, and administrative hurdles to getting assistance.While balancing these stressors, mothers tried to maintain a sense of normalcy for their children. Donna (not her real name), a mother of two school-aged children, described this balancing act:I worry about a lot of stuff. I cry sometimes. I tell my kids something got in my eye because I don’t tell them ‘Oh, I’m crying because I can’t pay the Pepco electric bill, or we didn’t get our benefits this month, or we can’t survive off this little bit of money.’ I don’t want my kids to worry too.These mothers spent many hours searching for resources to help their families. They struggled to keep their cash assistance and food stamps, to apply for housing assistance, to negotiate life in homeless shelters, and to seek support from other community organizations, working through at every turn.Despite arriving at the social services office early in the morning before it reached capacity, they would often wait for hours to be seen.