Why I Care: Hannah's Story

In my first post, I shared about how my policy class last semester acted as a catalyst for my interest in macro social work. Now I would like to share with you about a friendship of mine that further drives me towards a career in advocacy and program and policy analysis. Tonight I want to write about social welfare, and how I have seen it fall short.

A close friend of mine, we will refer to her as Hannah, is an individual who has been let down by our state’s [Alabama] existing welfare system. Hannah is 26 years old, divorced, and a mother of two young children. Her son is four years old, and her daughter is two years old. Hannah’s ex-husband kept their family home, and she moved in with her dad. The custody arrangement is that the children alternate weeks with their father and mother. After a year of living with her dad, Hannah decided she wanted to do everything she could to move into her own place and provide a more stable environment for her children during their weeks with her. She found a modest three-bedroom house for rent in a nice neighborhood and managed to move into it, despite facing financial difficulties. Hannah works full-time at a medical clinic where she is gaining experience to use in her future career. She is also in school full-time working towards completing a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science and wants to go on to graduate school to become a Physicians’ Assistant. She does receive a small Federal Pell Grant that helps some with the cost of school, but it does not cover all of her education expenses. Hannah brings home a net income of about $1,300 a month, and she receives $1,000 a month in child support. Childcare for the two children costs $1,495 a month, and her divorce decree explicitly states that financial burden is hers alone. Her monthly expenses include $850 for rent, about $350 for utilities, $14 for renter’s insurance, $260 for her car payment, and $134 for car insurance. Figure in additional purchases like groceries, gas, and other necessities, and her expenses far exceed her income. One of Hannah’s recurring struggles is food insecurity. If she somehow manages to get all of her bills paid for the month, she often has nothing left to spend on groceries. Astonishingly, even with these figures reported to the county Department of Human Resources, Hannah has been denied food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or “Food Stamps”). Even more surprising, when she received notice that she had been denied, the notice showed that her monthly cost for her dependents (her two children) was $0. Therefore, because one individual made the mistake of not figuring in her monthly childcare expenses, she was denied food assistance. When Hannah asked how she could get the error corrected, she was told that her case was closed, if she wanted to make an appeal she could do so through the main office in Montgomery, and that the appeal process would take a minimum of 90 days. Even if the error in figures gets corrected through an appeal, Hannah may still not be approved for benefits. At this time, Hannah is $300 short of what she needs to pay her upcoming bills, and she has had to purchase groceries on more than one credit account.

I share Hannah’s story with you because I believe it is an excellent example of our welfare system failing the exact person it was created to support. Hannah has expressed extreme feelings of frustration, bewilderment, and despair to me. She, and I, cannot understand how the harder she works to provide for herself and her children, the less assistance she receives. At one point in time, Hannah did qualify for SNAP. When she got a better job with a slightly larger paycheck, her benefits were terminated. Despite her small pay raise, she was not financially prepared to lose her food assistance. She applied again in her new county after her move and assumed with her new living expenses that she would qualify again. Apparently she assumed wrong.

When people think of someone on welfare, they typically do not picture a full-time employee, college student, and mother who is working diligently to provide for herself and her children. They do not consider the people who simply need temporary assistance, or those sincerely in need of long-term assistance due to permanent disabilities. For decades, society has been so worried about who they do not want to receive government assistance, instead of focusing on meeting the genuine needs of our legitimately vulnerable populations. Stories like Hannah’s inspire me to advocate on behalf of those populations. There are so many people who genuinely need assistance that they are not able to receive because of bureaucratic red tape. When I picture my future as a macro practitioner, I imagine myself lobbying on the behalf of these individuals. I want to work together with my fellow millennials to make large-scale changes on behalf of the needs identified by the micro practitioners on the front lines: the ones who meet Hannah’s in the field every day.

The Fight Isn't Over, It's Time for a Change

       In my introduction, I shared my passion for making a difference over making a dollar. I also expanded on my personal interests and hopes for my future in the field of social work. Now I would like to share a little bit about an amazing opportunity I have encountered as a young social work student. I am fortunate to be serving as a 2015-2016 Student Ambassador for the Student Advisory Council (SAC) of the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP) based in Washington D.C. The SAC is more commonly referred to on social media as #YSocialWork. According to its mission statement found on CRISP’s website, as an SAC Student Ambassador I will be engaging in an “…8-month policy and leadership development program [which] provides students with opportunities to learn more about federal legislative and policy processes, the inner working of Congress, and public policy.” One component of the program is monthly conference calls. Our first call focused on a discussion of voting and political engagement. We discussed the importance of voter participation and disparities in voter turnout. As an Alabamian, I had much to add to the conversation.
       Alabama (and the south in general) has a very long, and very public, history of minority oppression. The Civil Rights Movement took center stage in Alabama in the 1950s and 60s. Many notable events from the Movement took place in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma. Most people have heard of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Not as many people, however, have heard of Herbert Lee or Viola Liuzzo. Mr. Lee was an African-American man who was killed in 1961 because he was helping blacks register to vote. Members of the Ku Klux Klan killed Mrs. Liuzzo for giving a ride to men who had been marching in Selma. I learned of these two individuals and their courage on a recent trip to the Civil Rights Memorial at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama. I also learned about many other brave individuals who lost their lives because they believed it was time to stand up for their rights. As a result of many great efforts made by countless individuals, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) was passed and voting was supposed to become an equal opportunity for all. Unfortunately, as was discussed in our #YSocialWork conference call, the equality that Act stood for, does not stand firm today. The ruling in the Supreme Court Case, Shelby County v. Holder, overturned a portion of the VRA. The ruling allowed states to revert to discriminating policies like requiring a valid photo I.D. to vote. Alabama recently closed many of its Department of Motor Vehicles. Although they were closed for budgetary reasons, the closing conveniently correlated to areas of poverty and minority. Many have argued this to be an intentional discriminatory practice intended to keep the impoverished and people of color (historically progressive voters) from having access to the polls. I am not here to make a judgment call on that specific matter, but rather to claim that the fight for civil rights, voting rights, and social justice that began so long ago is still not over.
       I also want to note here, that voter discrimination is not the only way that minority oppression still occurs today. Another form of oppression that needs bringing to light is discrimination in our criminal justice system. While in Montgomery, I also had the opportunity to visit the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). I learned about the incredible services the EJI team members provide to people in need. One major focus of theirs is fighting for the release of juveniles in the criminal justice system who were sentenced to life without parole. They also fight for the rights of adults who were incarcerated as the result of unfair or unequal treatment. EJI has been able to free innocent individuals, juveniles who deserve a chance at rehabilitation, and many other people who have been victims of bias and discrimination. Many of the people served by EJI face discrimination due to their inability to afford adequate counsel. Also, statistics show that people of color are disproportionately incarcerated at alarming rates. This means that EJI is also continuing a modern day fight for Civil Rights. The gross injustice faced by the individuals who EJI serves is just as disheartening as the issue of voter discrimination we discussed in our first #YSocialWork conference call. It is up to organizations like EJI and millennial social workers like myself to speak out about these injustices and advocate for change.
       I look forward to being able to discuss issues like these, and other matters of concern, with my fellow Student Ambassadors. I also hope to be able to engage in discussion and advocacy on these topics with all of my fellow Generation Y social workers. Ignoring these problems will not make them go away. We need to get more people speaking out against injustice and speaking up for change! #YSocialWork.

Intro

       I am a member of Generation Y. Another name for members of this generation is Millennials. I recently read an article that argued Millennials, who now compose a large portion of the workforce, are not satisfied with working simply to turn a profit. It stated that we are more interested in working to make a difference. One thing I can say for certain is that statement rings true for this Millennial and future social worker. A lesson my father instilled in me since early childhood is, true fulfillment comes from loving what you do, not from doing what makes the most money.  I have often told people I am going to school to become a social worker, only to receive the reply, “well you’re never going to make any money!” It is true that most social workers do not bring home significantly large paychecks; however, I believe we are some of the richest employees of all. We get to make a difference with our jobs, every day and in so many lives, and that is truly valuable.
       As most social workers you meet will probably say, I always knew I wanted to help people. When I discovered the field of social work, I knew it was the right field for me. Thus far, most of my experience as a social worker has been in the classroom. I am still working towards the completion of my BSW from the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama. I have had the amazing experience of learning about micro, mezzo, and macro practice from the UM faculty members, who have wonderfully diverse service backgrounds and interests. I originally imagined myself going into micro practice working with individuals and families. In fact, I have had two very fulfilling long-term volunteer experiences in direct patient care settings. I am incredibly grateful for the micro practitioners on the front line, and I welcome all the opportunities I receive to gain more practice experience on the micro level. However, last semester I took a class on policy and macro practice. In the midst of the class, I realized I am truly invigorated by the idea of advocating for large-scale changes on the macro level. We were given the task of choosing a policy to analyze in a three-part paper, for which I chose a local Alabama House Bill to assess and follow as it made its way through the 2015 legislative session. Through that experience, I learned so much about the development and implementation of life-changing policies. I am grateful for that assignment, and I am even more grateful to identify what I believe my true calling is in the field of social work. I believe while practitioners serve vulnerable and oppressed individuals, families, groups, and communities, I can join forces with other social workers to advocate for progressive changes in policy to improve the quality of that service delivery.
       As I said, my journey as a social worker is just now beginning. I have so many ideas and hopes for my future in the field. I have decided to share my journey with whomever would like to follow along through this blog. Writing a blog is a new avenue for me, so please bear with me if it gets rocky at times.  I believe this is a potentially great way to express my thoughts and connect with other individuals who share my passion for progressive change.

Thanks for reading!