WELFARE REFORM FACT SHEET

by Housing Works and ACT UP Philadelphia

The Bill Will Hurt Poor and Disabled Americans

Under the pending welfare reform legislation, four million adults and one‑and‑one‑half million children would lose their Aid to Families with Dependent Children, a safety net program designed to help poor families.

The pending welfare reform bill ends the entitlement to cash assistance and turns welfare over to the states as a block grant. The bill would allow states to determine the eligibility criteria for families to qualify for assistance. Many states, such as Pennsylvania, may use this provision as on opportunity to deny thousands of families benefits. Also under the bill, states could cut their own spending for income assistance by up to 20% in the Senate version or 25% in the House version. States could cut an additional 8% if they meet certain performance standards. These cuts would further threaten the health and well‑being of vulnerable people.

The pending welfare reform bill places a 5 year lifetime limit on eligibility for welfare and limits states, ability to aids anyone who can't find a job within that time. States will be able to set shorter time limits in order to force people off of aids and into homelessness.

The bill gives states the right to deny welfare to any family.

The pending welfare reform bill would reduce the Food Stamp Program by $26 billion over 6 years and result in millions of hungry and malnourished children and adults. The Children's Defense Fund estimates that 14 million children would receive less food under the bill.

The pending welfare reform bill would deny SSI cash assistance to $300,000 children with severe disabilities, making it impossible for many families to continue to care their children at home.

The pending welfare reform bill would make most legal immigrants, including children, ineligible for federal and state benefits and services. This would include ineligibility for food stamps, Medicaid, housing assistance and AIDS services.

According to the Urban Institute, 4 out of 5 families affected by the bill have incomes below 150% of the poverty line. Nearly half of families adversely affected currently work.

The Pending Bill Increase the Spread of AIDS

America's AIDS epidemic is not inextricable linked to poverty and homelessness. As poor Americans are forced deeper and deeper into extreme poverty, more will turn to deadly high‑risk behavior. We know that basic income supports, housing and medical care ore a good defense against HIV, but the pending welfare reform bill amounts to unilateral disarmament in the fight against AIDS.

Housing Works . ACT UP Philadelphia . We The People . One Day at a Time . Urban Justice Center .

Hunger Action Network of NYC . Harlem United . Minority Task Force on AIDS . Community Voices Heard .

Exponents/Arrive .