Advocates Ask Governor to Save General Assistance
08.03.2009 by Elizabeth Ziegler
(KCPW News) Advocates for the poor and disabled met with staff from the governor’s office on Friday to ask for stimulus money to help 500 Utahns who were dropped from the state’s general assistance program the very next day. Tim Funk with the Crossroads Urban Center says advocates are concerned some of them could die on the streets this winter if nothing is done.
“There will be plenty of suffering that goes on. So, if the stimulus money is meant to help people and to improve the economy and keep things going, it would be well spent to put $2 to $3 million of stimulus money into this problem,” Funk says.
Those who receive general assistance get a $261 monthly check until they’re approved for federal disability benefits. The program sustained a $3 million budget cut earlier this year, and advocates fear the program could be reduced further during the upcoming legislative session. Funk believes cutting the program will create more economic problems than it will solve.
Advocates have contacted federal investigators to look into how the governor is using nearly $20 million received from the federal stimulus package. They take issue with the governor using some of the money on a film industry tax incentive, and want to see some of those funds reallocated to help sustain the state’s general assistance safety net for the poor and disabled. But Jason Perry, Lieutenant Governor Gary Herbert’s transition director, says the stimulus was intended to go to programs that create jobs, and the film incentive does just that.
“That’s what we’re looking at right now is whether any of those funds can be used for this program because we know those were intended, at least the discretionary funds, were intended for job creation programs,” Perry says. “Whether or not we can get it to other things, we will take a look at.”
Perry says the governor’s office has always included the general assistance program in its draft budget. The parties could meet again soon.
