Catholic Charities USA Urges Congress for Needed Investment In Vital Programs for Low-Income Families

Catholic Charities USA
Tuesday, 26 February 2002

As debates on the government's fiscal 2003 budget continue, Catholic Charities USA is urging Congress to make much-needed investments in vital programs for low-income families. In a letter to House and Senate budget committee leaders, Rev. J Bryan Hehir, president of Catholic Charities USA, called for adequate funding for affordable housing, welfare reauthorization, and child care programs.

"Even before the recent economic downturn, our agencies were coping with steady increases of 20 percent or more each year in requests for emergency assistance, primarily among working families," wrote Fr. Hehir. "Millions of families simply do not earn enough to provide for their basic needs."

The typical family coming to Catholic Charities for emergency food assistance is a parent working at the minimum wage or $1–$2 above it. Each month, after paying rent, utilities, childcare costs, and transportation costs to and from work, parents have no money left to put food on the table.

Addressing the Housing Crisis

According to local Catholic Charities agencies, the number one problem that low-income families face is the shortage of affordable housing.

"The federal government has not increased its investment in construction of new affordable housing units for decades, leaving the current stock inadequate to meet the tremendous need," wrote Fr. Hehir. "We urge the Budget Committee to provide new funding to produce safe and affordable rental housing for low- and moderate-income families with children."

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reports that the number of families, paying more than half their incomes for rent, living in severely substandard housing, or doing both is at an all-time high.

Other Budget Priorities

Catholic Charities USA also supports:

Additional funds for the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant, including an automatic adjustment for inflation.

Funding to allowing states to send more child support directly to the children on whose behalf it is paid.

An increase the in Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) budget by at least $1 billion in fiscal 2003 as part of an annual commitment to narrowing the gap between the children who receive CCDBG aid and the number who need it.

The restoration of the $2.8 billion funding level of the Social Services Block Grant for fiscal 2003 to address the needs of rising numbers of vulnerable families and individuals.

Increase funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program to $200 million.

Additional resources for rural housing and development programs.

At least $535 million for the Office of Refugee Resettlement in fiscal 2003.

Full funding for the Safe and Stable Families program, which provides funds to states for family support and preservation services, time-limited family reunification services, and adoption promotion and support services.

Additional federal funds for substance abuse and mental health services.

Funds to reauthorize and improve the Transitional Medicaid Assistance for five years.

At least $89 billion over the next 10 years to expand coverage for the uninsured—the same amount called for in the administration's budget.

A 10 percent increase for older adult programs to keep pace with the mounting number of Americans aging into eligibility for Older Americans Act programs.

The letter calls on Congress to pay for new security and defense costs, not by freezing or cutting funds to programs that help the most vulnerable, but rather by postponing those portions of the recent tax cut that have yet to take effect. "These provisions, which primarily benefit the wealthiest in our society, should not take effect until it is clear that we have the resources not only to make our country safe, but also to address the urgent unmet needs of low-income households," wrote Fr. Hehir.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Charities USA, see their website at: www.catholiccharitiesusa.org