For Immediate Release

Join Catholic Charities and other sponsoring organizations as we advocate for children of disabled parents!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
11:00-12:00 Guest Speakers
12:00-1:00 State House Visits
State House, Boston, Nurses Hall, 2nd Floor

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Protect the Safety Net for Children of Parents with Disabilities

The Administration has announced plans to slash already very low subsistence benefits for the most vulnerable children and families in the state. The cut--scheduled to go into effect February 1st--would eliminate or drastically reduce Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) benefits for children whose parents are too disabled to work. 

For many of these children, the cut will result in homelessness, mid-year school transfers, inadequate nutrition, poor health, and learning and behavioral problems. This wholesale family destabilization will cost the Commonwealth much more in the long term than the $23 million the cut is projected to save.

TAFDC serves 50,000 families in Massachusetts, providing a subsistence benefit of $500 a month on average, a benefit that is worth only 20% of its 1988 value. Parents are required to work unless they are too disabled or caring for young children or a disabled family member.  More than 9,000 families would lose all or most of their benefits under the Administration’s plan.

Call to Action Sponsors:  Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL), Catholic Charities of Boston, Catholic Charities of Springfield, Coalition Against Poverty, Coalition for Social Justice, Disability Policy Consortium (DPC), Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), Homes for Families, Live Well Springfield, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Massachusetts Welfare Rights Union, Metro-West Center for Independent Living, National Association of Social Workers/MA Chapter, Survivors, Inc.

Contact the Governor (617-725-4000).  Urge him to reverse the TAFDC cut!

For more information, please contact:  Elizabeth Toulan, GBLS (617-603-1626), Bill Henning, BCIL (617-338-6665) or Robyn Powell, DPC (617-542-3522). For accommodations requests, please contact Bill Henning or Robyn Powell.