Subject: The Real Effects of Welfare Reform
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 22:17:40 -0400
From: Julie Star <star@xxxxx.xx>
To: president@xxxxx.xx

Mr. President,

This letter comes to you as a plea for fairness and human decency. My name is Julie Star. I am a full-time second year honors student at Terra Technical College, Fremont, Ohio working towards two computer associates' degrees. I am also a TANF, Food Stamp, Medicaid and Child Care recipient. I am writing to you Mr. President because of my concerns with the new Welfare Reform Law scheduled to go into effect October 1, 1997. Recently I received notification from the Sandusky County Department of Human Services that effective October 1, 1997 all recipients must work thirty hours (30) per week in order to be eligible for assistance. Full-time students are able to substitute school hours for ten (10) of these hours.

I understand that due to Welfare Reform, some changes are expected and necessary. However, these extreme measures being taken without thoroughly investigating the ramifications on the human side are defeating the very purpose the law was designed to achieve. This law is hurting people and the people it is hurting the most are the little people. I have two children Mr. President. One is a 14-year-old boy named Jason who is becoming more of a young man everyday. He's a great kid but because of this new law he's getting dumped on. You see Mr. President, because mom has to spend so much time in Workfare hours, at school, and doing homework Jason has been forced into the role of the man of the house. He now has to cook the meals, do laundry and help with his 4-year-old sister Jeannette among other things. In order to keep up my grades so that I don't have to pay back my PELL and OIG grants I have to spend literally every waking moment studying. As an example, I got out of school at 3:00pm yesterday. I had to pick up Jenny at Day Care and head right home to study. Even with staying up until 4:00am to study, I was still not prepared for my class tonight and this is only the fourth day of classes. I ended up getting about one and a half hours sleep before I had to be up at 6:00am to get Jason up for school, get Jenny ready to go back to Day Care, and still have myself ready to leave the house by 7:15am. I arrived at Hospice to start my Workfare hours at 8:00am and didn't leave there until 4:00pm. When I left I had to rush and get gas so I could head back to my hometown (because I have to go out of town to get to my Workfare site) ran home to change clothes, refilled my coffee cup (because who has time to eat), said hi and bye to Jason who was going to spend yet another evening home alone (not the thing to do too often at that impressionable age) and flew to the college to make a 5:15pm class. After class let out at 8:10pm I picked up Jenny at Day Care and finally got to come home. When I finish this I will go back to studying and do so until my eyes no longer stay open. I'll be up at 6:00am to start my Workfare hours all over again. I am already exhausted Mr. President and I haven't finished my first week of classes yet.

Jason wonders why, with everything else I have to do, I am using some of my time to fight this new law. He says, "You're just wasting your time mom the government will just do what it wants to anyway." I guess Mr. President that that is enough reason to fight even harder to try to get this madness stopped. What are my son and so many others learning about this country when he sees his mother in tears in utter frustration because she can't keep her eyes open to finish her school work. He's angry Mr. President and I don't blame him.

If people are going to school full-time they should be allowed to use that schooling to fulfill all their Workfare requirements. I already have an associates' degree in electronics but because there are no electronics positions available in my area I was forced to retrain. I completed my first year in two computer degrees last year. I had the opportunity to finish those degrees this year but the new Welfare Reform Law put a stop to that. I would have had to take 4 classes this quarter and next quarter with 3 left for spring. I can't take that many classes and work with kids. I did that last spring and got 7 hours sleep in 4 days. Why is it Mr. President that the Federal and State Governments are willing to pay for my education but are unwilling to give me the time to attend? I want my life back. I want to finish my education and get back to being just a normal taxpayer like everyone else. This is going to cost me an extra year on the programs. I ask you is this what the new system is designed to accomplish?

My 4-year-old daughter Jenny is so beautiful and so precious. How do I explain to her when she is crying and wanting mom to play with her or read her a story that mom has to stay up all night and study? How do I make her understand that mom has no choice but to go to work or we will have no money or food and she won't be able to go see her ear specialist because we won't have medical coverage. How do I make her understand that mom can't stay home from school and play with her and that she has to spend 12 hours in Day Care or mom will have to pay back her grants.

Someday Mr. President, someone will ask those of us on the programs how to get us off and if they really listen to the answers then true welfare reform may begin. I am working with a woman in Maryland who is working up a proposal to have recipients conduct a completely anonymous survey of recipients. Those conducting the survey could use the time as their Workfare hours. People being interviewed would feel more comfortable giving honest answers to another recipient. I'll bet the results of this survey would vary greatly from any other because it would be the real story of what is going on out there and how people are really being affected by these changes.

Thank you for your time Mr. President. I know you are as busy as I am. Please try to do something about this. Let this countries college students finish college so that we may again become productive taxpaying citizens. Give us our lives back!

Julie Star