Price of Service Cuts: Budget Impasse Could Cost Mother of Four Her Job, Childcare, Food Assistance
August 7, 2009
Deep cuts to public services are being considered in Harrisburg as lawmakers and the Governor work to resolve the budget crisis. PBPC is tracking news reports on the impact of these cuts on local communities across Pennsylvania.
Today, we look at the story of Kelly Evans, a mother of four and a survivor of domestic violence, who may lose everything she has, including food assistance for her children, if the budget impasse continues past August 28.
The Gettysburg Times reported August 7 that Evans is employed by a human services organization and receives subsidized childcare and food assistance to help feed her four children. If a budget is not passed by August 28 to continue providing these vital services, she will lose her job, her childcare, and food assistance. Kelly’s employer, South Central Community Action Programs, has food pantries that help 8,000 people, provide WIC assistance for 6,700 women and children, and shelters for 52 men, women and children in need of a place to stay.
More information about how proposed cuts will hurt Pennsylvanians can be found at PBPC's 30 Ways in 30 Days Service Cuts Will Hurt Pennsylvanians, which examines proposed cuts to public education, college costs, hospitals, children's health care, senior services, state police patrols, and agricultural programs, among other areas. Return to the Price of Service Cuts.
Read the full article below.
Mother of four typical of thousands who may be denied state assistance
Alex J. Hayes
August 7, 2009
http://www.gettysburgtimes.com/articles/2009/08/07/news/local/doc4a7c0a0232bc5689966691.txt
Kelly Evans is a mother of four with no support from her children’s father.
She is slowly getting back on her feet after being forced to live in Survivors’ Domestic Violence Shelter for Battered Women.
She works full-time at South Central Community Action Programs in Gettysburg.
But if a state budget is not passed by Aug. 28, SCCAP will be unable to pay her and all of its other employees.
Two of Evans’ children attend the Child Enrichment Programs at the YWCA Gettysburg & Adams County and Child Care Information Services (CCIS) helps her pay part of that bill.
SCCAP is the fiduciary agent for CCIS and if a budget is not passed soon, those payments to the YWCA will stop.
Evans also receives assistance to purchase food for her family through SCCAP’s Women, Infants and Children program.
Again, if a budget is not passed soon, she will have no money to feed her family.
“I work 40 hours a week, full-time, but I need a little help,” Evans said. “They need to realize that this is not solved because they got the state workers paid.”
Evans’ story is one of thousands throughout Pennsylvania.
Since a budget was not passed by the June 30 deadline, the state is unable to pay any of its bills.
State employees have not received paychecks since the beginning of July.
But they will receive back pay next week because of a partial budget that Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law Wednesday.
That partial budget only allows state workers to be paid and does not include payments to any state-affiliated assistance organizations, such as SCCAP.
“If something happens, I lose my job, I lose my daycare, I lose everything; it is a total domino effect,” Evans said. “I do not know what I will do without the services. I can’t wait for months for them to do something.”
SCCAP’s WIC program provides assistance to 1,500 women, 1,500 infants and 3,700 children under 5.
Its two homeless shelters serve 17 adults and four children in Franklin County and 19 adults and 12 children in Adams County.
Eight thousand clients rely on SCCAP’s 14 food pantries in both counties.
If a state budget is not passed soon, all of those clients must find a new place to live and new ways to feed their families.
Unfortunately for Evans and others like her, it does not seem like a budget will be passed in the near future. Rep. Dan Moul, R-91, said he estimates October at the earliest. No budget negotiations were scheduled as of Thursday evening.
Republicans and Democrats are at a standstill because the GOP wants to cut programs in order to avoid raising taxes.
Their colleagues on the other side of the aisle adamantly believe that cutting programs, most notably education, will damage public welfare and a tax hike is necessary to avoid that.
While they bicker, Evans and everyone else will wait and wonder.
“I understand that our state is in some financial difficulty, but we are forgetting that these areas of the budget that they are not passing are causing more and more devastation to families,” Evans said.
