Our History
The Welfare Justice Project was conceived in the aftermath of the brutal welfare reform act of 1996 (the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, or PRWORA), which was passed by Congress and approved by President Clinton. Welfare reform made significant changes to how aid is distributed and how need is determined in our country. Some of the major changes made include:
- It created a 5 year time-limit for most people to receive assistance.
- It altered the structure of welfare funding, by changing it to a block grant that states receive. Federal funding is has remained constant for TANF, meaning that it has not risen with inflation or the cost of living.
- It created unrealistic work requirements for single parents on welfare.
Over the years, we have fought for improvements in the welfare system with the involvement of welfare consumers.
We officially started in 1999. Our first major action, a "Stop the Clock Rally" in Market Square, was held on the two-year anniversary of PA adopting TANF welfare 'reform'(ACT 35). 150 people turned out to tell the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) to "Stop the Clock" as many TANF recipients were approaching their two year limit to find employment.
In December 1999, we convinced the DPW to hold an open hearing about their State Plan for TANF. We turned out over 250 people at the hearing, advocating for education to count as a work activity as well as a "peer advocate" program. WJP participants also testified at this hearing.
In 2000, with Congress preparing to reauthorize TANF in 2001, we began to focus on changing this brutal law. In September, as part of a national campaign about "Welfare Made a Difference" we held a forum where local speakers shared the impact welfare had in their lives.
We also educated welfare consumers about existing policies that would allow them to go to school while receiving welfare, because they had been denied that right. We worked to ensure that their rights under the existing education policies were protected by holding DPW accountable. We also launched the "Education is Work!" campaign, which is now the Education for All! Campaign.
In 2001, WJP organized a public hearing about Food Stamps and Access to Benefits in February. Over a hundred people turned out to demand several changes in welfare policy. Below is a follow-up report card from July 2001, which illustrated how well DPW met those demands:
DPW REPORT CARD |
| 1. Posting a Client Bill of Rights | F DPW was stalling. |
| 2. Allow 10 business days to file for an appeal | F DPW said it needed legislative action. |
| 3. Ten days notice for appointments | A 2 days notice not enough; now we have 10! |
| 4. Allow consumers to own a reliable car while receiving benefits! | A Consumers can now have a car with no effect |
| 5. Allow 3 months of food stamps after cash closes. | A- Federal permission needed, but will do it. |
| 6. Voicemail in all ACAO offices | A County now has voicemail |
| 7. Extend office hours pilot | F State will not allow offices to regularly stay open late! |
| 8. Replace/Repair ACCESS cards at any time | A+ County changed this as soon as we asked |
| 9. Office Choice Policy | B County offered some improvements |
Since 2001, Numbers 1 and 2 have been implemented, earning DPW an A in those areas. For No.5, we are now pushing for 5 months. No.6: we are currently advocating for the voicemail system to be expanded, so that the system stores more than the current 9 voicemails per caseworker. For No.7, DPW has somewhat improved their policies for extended office hours: a client must ask to have an appointment scheduled in the evening.
In July of 2001, around 35 participants rallied in front of the Susquehanna DPW office in East Liberty, with the clear message that DPW needed to extend their office hours from 9-5 to accommodate working welfare clients. State Rep. Joe Preston joined us at the event, and several reporters came as well (See picture to the right). 
In October, we also hosted a meeting where guest speaker Robin Acree from Grassroots Organizing Project in Missouri spoke about ways to rally around re-authorization as a way to change "Welfare Deform" into true Welfare Reform.
In 2002, we organized major advocacy actions. In January, we mobilized TANF participants to speak at the Self-Sufficiency Conference with over 250 regional leaders. In March, WJP took a bus of low-income people to Washington, D.C. for the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support (NCJIS) rally. While there, we marched to Health and Human Services (HHS) to demand that education be counted as work, and leaders successfully negotiated a commitment for a meeting on education issues with HHS Deputy Secretary Claude Allen.During the conference, our Education is Work! Campaign leader, Tara Reynolds, gave a moving testimony to a packed audience at the Welfare Rights Workshop about her struggle to survive while finishing nursing school, after being denied benefits. We also had a postcard action, where we mailed "We need better ACCESS to Education" cards to Secretary of Public Welfare Feather O. Houstoun.
2003 was equally as eventful. In January, we held an informational meeting with Peter Zurflieh from the Community Justice Project, who explained how a person can receive welfare while also going to school. Representatives from around 50 social and community agencies attended. Just Harvest staff member Rochelle Jackson spoke with several groups and agencies about welfare policies and client rights.
In July, we held a "listening session" with Estelle Richman, PA Secretary of Welfare, where welfare consumers voiced their concerns and problems with accessing education. Three months later, DPW implemented flexible new policies that counted education and training as a work activity. It also reaffirmed that caseworkers are required to inform all TANF clients about what educational opportunities they may pursue while in the TANF program.
In 2004, we revised our Welfare Rights Handbook. We held another information session about education and welfare with Peter Zurflieh. Our Client Service Protocol was published by DPW and was to be distributed in Allegheny County offices.
In 2005, We held a series of informational workshops with the Department of Welfare on Education and Training and Customer Service/Policies and Procedures for Clients. We held a career seminar with Richard Roberts from Trio Educational Opportunity Center. We organized a series of meetings with welfare consumers, advocates, and agencies from the Western PA region, to address the federal budget and TANF Reauthorization.
In 2006, we organized a meeting with then-Congresswoman Melissa Hart, urging her to oppose cuts in funding for programs for low-income families. We also met with Congressman Mike Doyle about the same issue. We held conference calls about the budget, and worked with the National Welfare Engine to hold a press conference in DC to draw attention to the importance of the federal budget (see picture to the right).
We continue to educate and involve welfare consumers in our efforts towards positive welfare change. We continue to have hearings and listening sessions with elected officials and welfare administrators. We also continue to offer workshops, manuals, and other informational materials for welfare consumers and agencies. We also do one-on-one advocacy with consumers, helping them get beyond the barriers that prevent them from receiving the benefits and services they need.
