[Faith & Hunger] Hunger Alert - Jan. 2007 - Raise Welfare Benefits Call in; Sign on Form

[Dunleamark at aol.com]

Hunger Alert – January 2007
Hunger Action Network, 518 434-7371 or 212 741-8192
_www.hungeractionnys.org_ (http://www.hungeractionnys.org) 

In  this Issue:

1. Join us for the HANNYS / ES2 Legislative Education  and Action Day, Tues. 
March 13th
2. Faith and Hunger Network Conference  –  Albany Feb 25th
3. Sign on Letter for Farm Bill Reauthorization
4.  Sign-on Forms for TANF Implementation, Raise the Welfare Grant
5. Mini-Lobby  Day on NYS Council on Food Policy, Tues. Feb. 5th
6. Join a new Fresh Food  Initiative in West Harlem
7. Food Stamp Outreach Project in Hudson  Valley
8. Make a contribution to Hunger Action Network while  shopping


January ACTION item

Statewide  Call-in to Raise the Welfare Grant – Week of January 22nd

The  Governor and the State Legislature have not raised the welfare grant 
since 1990.  The value of welfare benefits has fallen to only half of the federal 
poverty  level.  577,000 New Yorkers are on Temporary Assistance including 
333,000  children.

We must tell the Governor and the Legislature that this  is unacceptable!  
Call to Make YOUR Voice Heard!

Governor Eliot  Spitzer (518) 474-8390
Assembly Speaker Silver (518) 455-3791
Senate  Majority Leader Bruno (518) 455-3192

Our Message:   

Increase the non-shelter portion of the public assistance grant  from $291 to 
$450 for a family of three to reflect the increase in the cost of  living 
since the last adjustment in 1990. 

To also send an  email to your legislator, click here:  
http://hungeractionnys.org/advocacy_ltr.php

To also send an email  to Gov. Spitzer, click here: 
http://161.11.121.121/govemail


1.  Join us for the HANNYS / ES2 Legislative Education and Action Day (LEAD), 
Tues.  March 13th

We hope this year’s state budget will reverse almost two  decades of 
disinvestment in human service programs. Our LEAD day will be at  Westminster 
Presbyterian Church, 85 Chestnut St, Albany. There will be a  briefing at 9:30 AM, a 
rally at noon, and legislative visits from 1 to 4 PM. Key  issues for the ES2 
agenda include income security for all families (e.g., higher  minimum wage, 
welfare benefits and Earned Income Disregard); universal health  care; 
developing a strong and educated workforce for New York; and job  creation.  More 
details on the ES2 agenda is in Grassroots, which you can  find on our web page  
http://hungeractionnys.org/HANNYSgrassroots.pdf

With the election  of new Governor, Eliot Spitzer, the budget is due out 
January 31. Spitzer has  warned that this will be a “tight” budget, since he has 
promised billions of  dollars in additional spending on education and property 
tax relief but no tax  hikes. We expect a bulk purchasing program for 
prescription drugs but perhaps  smaller in scale than the legislation proposed by 
Gottfried-Goldin. There is  expected to be a universal health care program for 
children and a simpler  application process for Medicaid. There are expected to 
be large cuts in  Medicaid spending but primarily on the provider rather than 
consumer side. We  are hoping for a $9.3 million increase in funding for 
HPNAP. We expect some  proposed closing of corporate tax loopholes. Unfortunately 
were are told that  the request for an increase in welfare benefits faces an 
uphill  fight.

2. Faith and Hunger Network (FHN) Conference – Feb. 25th  Albany

The Capital District FHN conference will take place on Sun.  Feb. 25th at 
B'Nai Sholom Reform Congregation, 420 Whitehall Rd., Albany  starting at 1:30 PM. 
The keynote speaker will be David Minor, Chair of the  National Board of 
Directors for Bread for the World. Topics include: raising the  welfare grant; the 
federal farm bill; and, the joint anti-hunger platform. The  Food for All / 
FHN conference in Buffalo is expected on Saturday March  10th.

3. Sign on Letter for Farm Bill  Reauthorization

The 110th Congress will reauthorize the “Farm  Bill.” That important 
legislation has a breadth and reach far beyond American  agricultural policy. The 
Farm Bill also will reauthorize a number of nutrition  assistance programs, 
including the Food Stamp Program, which is the nation’s  first line of defense 
against hunger. It is vital that lawmakers address  shortfalls in benefit adequacy 
and improve access for vulnerable people. The  competition for resources in 
the Farm Bill will be stiff. In a context in which  there may be few or no new 
dollars to expand Farm Bill programs, other  stakeholders are seeking added 
investments in the commodities, conservation,  energy, research and other titles 
of the Farm Bill. 

FRAC, Bread  for the World, World Hunger Year and other national anti-hunger 
organizations  have developed a sign on letter (deadline: Jan. 25th)  
http://www.frac.org/pdf/NAHO.pdf. There is a link at www.frac.org to sign on.  For 
more info, contact evollinger at frac.org.

The Farm and Food  Policy Project is also pulling together a diverse 
coalition of family farm,  sustainable agriculture, rural, public health, anti-hunger, 
environmental,  faith-based, and other groups to shape the 2007 Farm Bill.  
Issues include  supporting family farms and local communities, improving health 
and nutrition,  ending hunger, and increasing biodiversity and improving the 
quality of our  soil, water and air. Go to www.farmandfoodproject.org to learn 
more about farm  and food policy and read the specific recommendations of 
allied organizations.  To sign on, contact Jessie Dowling at 
info at farmandfoodproject.org  or  202-543-1300.  Or contact Allen Hance, Coordinator, Farm and Food 
Policy  Project, at ahance at nemw.org  or 202-464-4015.

4. Sign-on Forms  for TANF Implementation and Raising the Welfare Grant

A sign-on  form for HANNYS’s work to Strengthen Welfare to Work Programs 
under TANF  Implementation and Raising the Welfare Grant is attached at the end.   
Please sign-on to support these important recommendations.

5.  Mini-Lobby Day on NYS Council on Food Policy on Tues. Feb.  5th.

HANNYS is helping a coordinate a legislative day of action on  the proposal 
to create a NYS Council of Food Policy on Tues. Feb. 5th. A  briefing will take 
place at 10 AM at Emmanuel Baptist Church, 275 State St.,  Albany. Please 
contact dunleamark at aol.com (518 434-7371 xt 1#) if you plan to  attend. After the 
briefing we will meet with key legislators and staff to  discuss the 
proposal. The new Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets, Patrick  Hooker, was the 
public policy director of the Farm Bureau, an endorser of the  Council.

6. Join a new Fresh Food Initiative in West  Harlem

Hunger Action and partners are increasing access to  delicious farm fresh 
food in the West Harlem area of New York City and you are  invited to join us! 
This innovative project increases the amount of fresh food  available at 
Emergency Food Programs and initiates a Community Supported  Agriculture (CSA) 
Project. Through the CSA, community residents will be able to  receive farm fresh 
produce at an affordable price. Food Stamp recipients  encouraged to 
participate. If you’re interested in supporting a local farmer,  building community 
connections, and receiving great food, contact Susannah at  212-741-8192, ext. 3# 
or spasquantonio at hungeractionnys.org.

7. Food  Stamp Outreach Project in Hudson Valley

Hunger Action is initiating  a campaign to increase access to the Food Stamp 
Program in the Hudson Valley.  Only about half of people eligible for this 
program are participating, and  increasing participation could benefit thousands 
of lower income people in the  area. We will be coordinating workshops, 
trainings, and running a free Food  Stamp pre-screening help-line, among other 
initiatives. To find out how this  project can benefit you and your community, 
please contact Susannah at  212-741-8192, ext. 3# or  
spasquantonio at hungeractionnys.org.

8.  Make a contribution to  Hunger Action Network while shopping

GreaterGood.com, Inc. makes it  free and easy to support good causes through 
everyday Internet use. Internet  users can shop at over 100 leading online 
merchants – including  Barnes&Noble.com, Gateway, PETsMART.com, Office Deport, 
Brookstone,  priceline, ebay, Lands' End, Dell, Office Max, and more -- and up 
to 15% of each  purchase automatically goes to Hunger Action Network at no 
extra cost to  you.  THANKS for your support. Just go to our home page at  
http://www.greatergood.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/GreaterGood.woa/wa/shoppingVillage?svid=
hannys


Sign  On Form:
Strengthen Welfare-to-Work Programs under TANF  Implementation
Raise the Welfare Grant

I. A TANF Implementation  Agenda

Last year Congress enacted changes in the federal welfare  (TANF) program. In 
2007, New York is facing key choices. The federal regulations  substantially 
increase the proportion of assistance recipients who must  participate in work 
activities.  We will need an additional 7,000 to 10,000  TANF recipients 
monthly in federally countable activities or else the State will  face possible 
federal penalties.

We want the state to meet its  increased work participation rates by 
improving the quality of its  welfare-to-work programs, increasing engagement in those 
programs, and extending  supports to low-income working families. Below is an 
outline of some of the  reforms we are proposing.

Expand access to education and training  programs for welfare recipients. 
Many public assistance participants need  education and vocational training in 
order to get jobs paying family-sustaining  wages and benefits.  NY should 
maximize participation in programs like GED,  adult literacy and ESL, while 
allowing qualified individuals to complete  two-year Associates degree programs.

Create income supports and  transitional jobs. Enact a wage supplement 
program which provides cash payments  on top of earnings from wages. Increase the 
Earned Income Disregard to allow  welfare participants who work to keep more of 
their wages.

Address  the needs of people with disabilities and other barriers to 
employment. A  significant percentage of public assistance recipients struggle with  
disabilities – particularly mental disabilities – and other barriers to  
employment.  The State should develop a screening tool to identify clients  with 
disabilities and mandate that localities offer screening to their  clients.  
More intensive case services should be provided.

II.  Raise the Welfare Grant
Welfare helps poor children and their parents obtain  basic necessities such 
as heat, housing, food and clothing. Unless a welfare  recipient is unable to 
work because they are elderly, a child, or suffers from a  disability, there 
are strict work requirements that they must comply with or  face losing their 
assistance. The Governor and the State Legislature have not  raised the welfare 
grant since 1990. The value of welfare benefits has fallen to  only half of 
the federal poverty level. 577,000 New Yorkers are on Temporary  Assistance 
including 333,000 children. For more than a decade the courts have  repeatedly 
ruled that welfare payments for housing are illegally low.  In  1975 public 
assistance for a three-person family was equal to 110% of the  Federal Poverty 
Level. 

Proposal: Increase the non-shelter portion of the public assistance  grant 
from $291 to $450 for a family of three to reflect increase in the cost of  
living since the last adjustment in 1990. Fuel for Heating Allowances should be  
increased to account for inflationary increases since the last adjustments in  
1987. A commission should be established to investigate the adequacy of all  
public assistance allowances and to recommend mechanisms to provide for annual  
cost adjustments.
Sign On Form

___ My organization supports the  TANF Implementation Agenda
___ My organization supports Raise the Welfare  Grant.

Organization _______________________________________ Contact  
____________________________
Address __________________________ Town / City  __________ Zip _____________ 
Phone (__________)____________________ Email  
____________________________________

Return to: HANNYS, 260 W. 360  St. #504, NY NY 10018. Fax: 212 741-7236. Or 
email this information to:  bhpham at hungeractionnys.org