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It's back-to-school time for Massachusetts families, and it was announced that low-income families receiving Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) benefits can receive a little additional help with this to purchase school clothing for their children to the tune of $150 per school-aged child under 19 years.
This sounds generous, but how much clothing and shoes does $150 really buy today? Even shopping at discount clothing stores during a good sale—and I mean a good sale—$150 buys, maybe, 15 items. Mind you, that's 15 items of clothing for the entire school year. The thought is nearly preposterous, let alone families needing to purchase school supplies. In high school alone, I don’t recall the cost of my supplies each year being less than $120 for notebooks, requisite calculators, equipment, and supplies—all required by my school. These purchases each year were certainly cause for financial struggle for my family with two working parents.
Is this clothing benefit helpful? Absolutely. It is a little extra money for school supplies families may not have had otherwise. However, I can’t help but think that families, living in unsubsidized housing in, say, the Boston area, will not find this benefit nearly as generous as the State thinks.
For a single-parent family of 3, to qualify for cash benefits, their gross income must be less than $1171.05 a month. These families will receive no more than $633 of assistance. According to the latest FESS reports, rent alone costs about $1300 a month. These are troubling numbers, and doesn't leave the family much to work with to keep themselves fed and utilities paid, let alone purchase needed clothing and school supplies.
What do you think the government and/or non-profit family support services do to help children and families meet their back-to-school needs?
[read more on The Voices Project]
