Poverty in Washington State | Meeting basic Needs

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Meeting Basic Needs

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It should be possible for people to afford housing and still have enough money for the basics like groceries, gas, and childcare. But in Washington State, it's becoming harder and harder for people to afford those necessities. In our state, 250,000 families must make difficult choices between paying for food, health care, or rent.

Strong social support systems ensure that people have the opportunity to live in a safe, decent, affordable home, as well as be able to meet their most basic needs.

Poverty Action is working to protect our state’s strong public systems, such as healthcare, education and infrastructure and advocate for improvements that will ensure that these programs can better meet the needs of the growing population.

Some of the key issues that Poverty Action campaigns in support of include:

Income Support for Parents with lower incomes:

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a program that provides basic cash assistance for parents and their dependent children who have incomes so low that they are not able to meet their basic needs. People who qualify for TANF engage in job search activities and receive a small cash grant to help them cover monthly costs.

In 2008, Poverty Action successfully pushed the legislature to increase the basic family assistance program (TANF) grant by 3%, the first increase in 15 years. This is despite the fact that between 1993 and 2003 the cost of living increased by 20%. In 2004 the TANF grant for a family of three is 41.9% of the Federal Poverty Line.

Child Care while parents work:

In order to find work and help rebuild our state's economy, parents must have access to education and training, as well as childcare they can rely on. The Working Connections Child Care program helps 36,000 families each month pay for childcare while parents work or go to school. Without these modest subsidies, fewer providers would be able to care for low-income children Poverty Action fights to protect funding for the Working Connections Child Care program and puts pressure on the state legislature to improve service and rates for low-income, working parents.

Health Care for everyone:

Everyone should be able to visit a doctor when they're sick - without breaking the bank. We need comprehensive, affordable health insurance that allows people and families to stay healthy and thrive. In Washington State, the number of people without health care coverage is expected to rise to 900,000 by 2010. That's almost 15% of Washington's population! Families with incomes below 200% of the poverty level ($35,200 a year for a family of three) run the highest risk of being uninsured. Because so many families with low incomes lack the protections of health insurance, the cost of even a single hospitalization can drive many into debt and financial devastation.

Income support for people unable to work:

We all hope that if we face a job loss, become disabled or want to gain more skills, we will have the support and opportunity for a good quality of life.

Nearly 21,000 people with disabilities in Washington rely on the Disability Lifeline, formerly called General Assistance – Unemployable (GAU). This program provides small, monthly cash grants and medical coverage for disabled adults who are unable to work. The support the Disability Lifeline provides is often the difference between housing and homelessness, between a meal and going hungry.

Poverty Action is fighting to protect this vital assistance program and insure that grant levels come more into line with the rising cost of living.