Faces of Welfare | The Increased Cost of Household Items | States that have Raised the Welfare Grant | Comparisons of the Shelter Allowance and HUD Fair Market Values

Faces of Welfare:

Trinisha McGriff

Trinisha McGriff, who has been on welfare only since this past March, tries to work with social services to achieve the best possible outcome for her and her daughter, but she repeatedly finds obstacles in the system. The cheapest two bedroom apartment that she found was $175 more than her shelter allowance could cover. Denied permission to live there by social services because it was too expensive, she now lives at the YWCA women’s shelter. Though she is satisfied with the facilities, Trinisha wants her independence back, something that was much easier for her to have before she went on welfare.

Trinisha’s six-year-old daughter also had to make a transition when her mom went on welfare. Previously she was accustomed to a life where money wasn’t in such short supply, and getting a four dollar toy was not out of the question. Having to explain to her daughter that circumstances have changed has been hard for Trinisha: “She always asks why we can’t do one thing or another, and the only thing I can say is that I don’t got the money.” Trinisha’s ex does not pay child support, so she is forced to bear the burden alone.

Trinisha recently lost her part-time job at Wendy’s where her pay was quickly reducing her welfare benefits – losing 50 cents on the dollar, plus taxes. Trinisha was fired when she had to leave work to pick up her daughter when her school would call her repeatedly when the baby sitter failed to show up. Only later did she learn about the possibility of getting child care assistance from DSS.

After Trinisha lost her job, she was sanctioned by DSS, although she notes “I really couldn’t imagine how they could take something away from zero—now I’m not going to be able to pay for my daughter’s educational and recreational programs and it’s not her fault.” She wished that DSS had helped her with her child care needs instead of sanctioning her. She is still jobless, although she goes out looking for jobs frequently, and she is certified as a nurses’ aid.

The $260 in food stamps each month is not enough for her to “fully food shop.” However, since she lives in a women’s shelter, Trinisha is able to make it stretch out with the help of Thursday night community dinners and combining resources with other women that live nearby. When Trinisha originally received her cash grant, she would have $218 every month to pay for what the shelter doesn’t provide, such as laundry detergent, paper products and other necessities. Constantly running up against her financial limit leaves Trinisha feeling like she is “losing my mind- believe me, this was my last resort—I’m not doing this for pleasure.”

Knowing that she will eventually leave the shelter, Trinisha sees how much tighter things could get: “If they only raised the rent assistance, it would be easier to find an apartment, or if they raised the cash grant it could help me get an apartment, and pay some of my other expenses.”