Human services advocates say many families still don’t know whether they will lose their cash assistance if the Legislature approves a four-year lifetime cap on benefits.
Legislative analysis estimates more than 12,000 cash assistance cases would be closed on October 1 if lawmakers approve the cap.
Judy Putnam of the Michigan League for Human Services says the state should look more closely into who would be affected by that cap.
“Two-thirds of the caseload on assistance are children, and the average age of a child on assistance is seven," says Putnam. "That’s a second grader.”
Putnam says the state has not provided enough information to families who would have their cash assistance cut off October 1.
“If it passes, this will give us the harshest time limits in the Midwest," Putnam says. "Indiana cuts families off after two years on assistance, except that they only subtract the money for the adult. They still give the money for the kids."
Putnam says many people who receive cash assistance are unaware or confused about how they would be affected by the change.
Putnam hopes Governor Rick Snyder will change his mind and step in to at least phase out cash assistance, rather than cut it off.
"As it is we’re just saying ‘No more cash assistance, you’ve had enough.’ The problem is is that there aren’t jobs available. That might make sense if there were a lot of entry-level jobs available, with transportation to get to those jobs. But we all know that that’s not the case."
Snyder called on the Legislature to approve the measure, which would save the state an estimated $65 million dollars in the coming fiscal year.
