Gov. Rick Snyder says Michigan welfare system returned ‘to its original intent’ after signing law putting tighter 48-month limit on benefits, By Peter Luke, September 6, 2011, Kalamazoo Gazette: “Legislation that puts in place a more strict 48-month time limit on cash assistance benefits was signed into law today by Gov. Rick Snyder. ‘We are returning cash assistance to its original intent as a transitional program to help families while they work toward self-sufficiency and also preserving our state’s integral safety net for families most in need,’ Snyder said in a statement. ‘Affected recipients are able-bodied and have had at least four – some as long as 14 or more – years to transition to independence.’ Tighter enforcement of the four-year limit begins on Oct. 1 and some 11,000 households will lose their $500-a-month benefit. The Department of Human Resources is scheduling appointments with affected families to extend housing and job placement assistance for three months to those actively seeking employment…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty