More help for families facing the new school year?

It's back-to-school time for Massachusetts families, and it was announced that low-income families receiving Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) benefits can receive a little additional help with this to purchase school clothing for their children to the tune of $150 per school-aged child under 19 years.

This sounds generous, but how much clothing and shoes does $150 really buy today? Even shopping at discount clothing stores during a good sale—and I mean a good sale—$150 buys, maybe, 15 items. Mind you, that's 15 items of clothing for the entire school year. The thought is nearly preposterous, let alone families needing to purchase school supplies. In high school alone, I don’t recall the cost of my supplies each year being less than $120 for notebooks, requisite calculators, equipment, and supplies—all required by my school. These purchases each year were certainly cause for financial struggle for my family with two working parents.

Is this clothing benefit helpful? Absolutely. It is a little extra money for school supplies families may not have had otherwise. However, I can’t help but think that families, living in unsubsidized housing in, say, the Boston area, will not find this benefit nearly as generous as the State thinks.

For a single-parent family of 3, to qualify for cash benefits, their gross income must be less than $1171.05 a month. These families will receive no more than $633 of assistance. According to the latest FESS reports, rent alone costs about $1300 a month. These are troubling numbers, and  doesn't leave the family much to work with to keep themselves fed and utilities paid, let alone purchase needed clothing and school supplies.

What do you think the government and/or non-profit family support services do to help children and families meet their back-to-school needs?

Visit CWU's Self-Sufficiency Calculator to find out your family's cost of living in Massachusetts.

Comments

[brendy]

Well I can actually say I understand where you're coming from, because I'm a mother of 3 beautiful kids, and this year it was hard for me. I was lucky enough that I din't have to buy school material's. All I bought was book bags, but still I had to buy clothes, diapers, wipes, etc. It was still hard for me. I had to buy 6 pairs of jeans, 7 t-shirts, socks, underwear, and 2 pairs of sneakers, because my son didn't want 1 pair. Just in his stuff I spent $300. for my second child I got 6 pairs of jeans, 6 shirts,socks, 1 pair of sneaker, diapers, wipes, and his book bag. I spent another $200 and some change. For the baby I got 6 pairs of jeans, 6 shirts, undershirts, socks, diapers, and wipes, I spent another $200. It is very hard for me because I also have to pay light, rent, phone, and cable. Even if I live in a subsidized apartment it is still hard. The only thing that always saves me is that my sister always waits till I'm done buying for my kids and if she see's that I still need help with something she buys. For example, right now I dont need anything but soon I will need diapers and she will get it them. The part that sucks the most about this whole thing is that I had to get everything without TAFDC. so TAFDC helps but only a little bit. It is not enough help specially for the people that have more than 1 child.I i have more than 1 and I spent a good $700. And that's not counting all the diapers and wipes that my 2 little ones are going to need through out the school year.

[margalit]

As a family that makes too much money for TAFDC or any other subsidies, but earns significantly less that the Crittendon self sufficiency form indicates (sad but true), that extra $150 would have been a HUGE help for my kids. I have two highschoolers, and I shop for their clothing at Savers in West Roxbury, where $150 goes a VERY long way. I spent $99 on school clothing there this year, and got plenty of hoodies, sweat pants, jeans, and t-shirts, definately enough to outfit my kids for the year. An extra $50 would have bought shoes for my son, who needs them desperately. They can wear last year's coats, but socks and underwear were also needed, and cost about $40 for both kids.

You CAN outfit your kids for that kind of money. Your kids aren't going to be wearing brand new clothing, but they can get name brands very cheaply at second hand stores. We got 2 pairs of Seven Jeans for $5.99 each that sell in the $200 neighborhood new. It can be done.

Now, the problems is, why doesn't a family like mine qualify for extra help, especially since 2 of the 3 of us are handicapped and can't even get subsidized housing or food stamps? What I get from SSDI is the only income we live on, and it is NOT ENOUGH.

Anyone want to pay my rent for August? I haven't...and I don't have the money either.

[R. Liberman]

I've always felt that these once a year give aways to help low-income families at the start of the school year or at the holidays were so shallow and gratuitous: if we help families in need in a splashy way a few times a year, we don't need to worry about them the rest of the time. The "hand-out" approach makes the giver feel good but only offers the receiver a small moment of gratification. Unfortunately, after the free backpack with school supplies is lost or the new school clothes are outgrown there is little on-going assistance for poor families.

As a Commonwealth and a country (the richest in the world) we need to provide real opportunities for post-secondary education and training so people can earn decent wages and buy their own clothes, pay their own rent, etc.

It goes back to the adage, "give a woman a fish, she eats for a day; teach a woman to fish and feed her for life."