It is widely known that Texas falls behind in the social services that it offers, compared to other states. This is because our state government has a commitment to low taxes for everyone, and very limited spending on government welfare programs. Social welfare programs in Texas are characterized by the commonly held belief that each person is responsible for making their own way, and taking care of themselves. It is also characterized by a deep-rooted suspicion of big government in general. Both of these ideologies lead to a social welfare program that expects people in poverty to dig their own way out of it, without the governments assistance.
As a result, we continue to favor low taxes over spending money on social services, despite the giant population of needy and impoverished people in the state. 15.8% of the population were said to be under the poverty line in 2008, according to the US Census Bureau. Two main sources of state-aided income for impoverished people are food stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy people. Out of 50 states, Texas ranks the 4th lowest on the amount of benefits people receive from these 2 programs. These programs alone represent hundreds of different branches and programs of social services that are under-funded. As a result, many different populations of people are marginalized in the state.
This topic of Texas' under-funded social welfare program really hits home for me, because of the field of work I am going into. I have spent the past year volunteering with a local women's shelter, and I see firsthand the effects of under-funding. Almost every logistical challenge we face in the shelter has it's roots in lack of resources: an inadequate number of social workers (resulting in over-worked/burnt-out social workers), lack of space in the shelter for more women in crisis, having to rush the women out of the shelter once they get a room, inability to find somewhere else for them to go afterwards, and the list goes on. With more resources, we would be able to provide a higher quantity and quality of resources for these women in crisis.
And survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse are only one of the populations of people that are affected by Texas' welfare programs..
Sources:
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/ranks/rank34.html
http://www.urban.org/publications/310173.html
Dear Texas Government Blog,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your blog article titled "Texas Social Services (or lack thereof)" and enjoyed reading about your experience with this issue. I have never personally felt the the negative effects of our poor welfare system, and am grateful you broadened my opinion.
I can definitely see that Texas' welfare system is flawed by reading your article, but I am curious to know how we rank in other areas of assistance. Meaning, are we educating our needy persons to help them succeed without the use of government funding? Also, what percentage of people are staying on welfare indefinitely, and how many people are using it to get back on their feet?
I firmly believe that instead of giving people money, we should reform our government spending to reflect a more "teaching" approach to poverty. As the old saying goes, "give a man a fish he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." I hope that instead of our government spending more money by simply giving it away, that they will provide needy families with schooling and knowledge on how to succeed in our society.
I agree with you that Texas needs to re-evaluate our welfare system, but I hope they utilize education in doing so. Another good way to help our poverty level is to have routine check-ups with people receiving benefits. This would help to take away money from people misusing it, and give it those that actually need assistance. I come from a small town and can tell you firsthand that a good percentage of people receiving food stamps misuse them.
Overall, we seem to have similar attitudes on this issue given that we dive a little deeper into the waters of welfare. I will continue to research this issue to get a better understanding of the situation.