Here & Now

Hunger Task Force Director Calls FoodShare Reform A Failure

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

IN TOTAL 770,000 PEOPLE IN WISCONSIN GET FOODSHARE BENEFITS. THE DIRECTOR OF HUNGER TASK FORCE IN MILWAUKEE CALLS THE NEW REFORM PROGRAM A FAILURE. SHERRIE TUSSLER JOINS US NOW FROM MILWAUKEE. THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

SHERRIE TUSSLER:

GLAD TO BE HERE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHY DO YOU CALL THE FOODSHARE EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM A FAILURE?

SHERRIE TUSSLER:

BECAUSE 65% OF THE PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM ACTUALLY LOST THEIR FOOD ASSISTANCE AND DIDN’T GAIN EMPLOYMENT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHY ISN’T IT OKAY THOUGH TO REQUIRE PEOPLE GETTING BENEFITS TO SEEK WORK OR ACTUALLY GET WORK?

SHERRIE TUSSLER:

IT IS OKAY. IT’S ACTUALLY THE LAW OF THE LAND. WHEN WE REFORMED WELFARE BACK IN 1996 WE MADE WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR ABLE-BODIED ADULTS ON FOODSHARE. NOT ARGUING THE LAW. WE THINK THAT THE MOST DIGNIFIED WAY TO GET FOOD IS THROUGH YOUR JOB. AND SO WE WOULD ADVOCATE FOR WORK BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE’RE SPENDING $60 MILLION IN TAX RESOURCES TO CREATE JOBS, THAT WE ACTUALLY CREATE JOBS THAT LIFT PEOPLE OFF ELIGIBILITY FOR FOODSHARE. AND THERE’S BEEN NO EVIDENCE THAT ANYONE GOT A LIVING WAGE JOB.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHY WOULDN’T SOMEONE WHO NEEDS FOODSHARE GO AHEAD AND COMPLY TO KEEP THE BENEFIT? THERE WERE ALL OF THOSE MANY PEOPLE WHO LOST THE BENEFIT BECAUSE THEY FAILED TO GO AND GET THAT JOB OR SEEK IT.

SHERRIE TUSSLER:

THERE WOULD BE A LOT OF REASONS. IN THE NORTH PART OF THE STATE IN CERTAIN RURAL PARTS OF THE STATE IT WOULD BE A TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM. PEOPLE CAN’T GET TO THE WORK ORIENTATION. THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ISSUES ARE. THEY GET MAILED LETTERS. THE LETTER COMES IN ENGLISH. THE PERSON DOESN’T READ, WRITE OR SPEAK ENGLISH. SOME PEOPLE ARE DISABLED. SOME PEOPLE ARE EXEMPT BUT THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW THAT THEY ARE EXEMPT. I DON’T THINK THE STATE DID ANY KIND OF FORMAL OUTREACH PLAN TO EDUCATE THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THIS CHANGE. THEY JUST STARTED ENROLLING PEOPLE AND PEOPLE DIDN’T GET IT. AS A RESULT DIDN’T PARTICIPATE AND MORE THAN 65% OF THE PEOPLE LOST THEIR ABILITY TO BUY FOOD.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

IS THAT WHAT YOU’VE HEARD FROM PEOPLE THAT YOU WORK WITH AND YOU KNOW IN MILWAUKEE COUNTY, THAT PEOPLE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE PROGRAM OR DIDN’T GET THE NOTIFICATION?

SHERRIE TUSSLER:

YES. YOU GET A SERIES OF THREE LETTERS BUT THEY’RE MAILED TO YOUR HOUSE. IN THE CASE OF HOMELESS PEOPLE WHICH RECENTLY BECAME EXEMPT, THOSE PEOPLE WOULD LOSE BENEFITS BECAUSE THEY WOULDN’T GET THEIR MAIL. IN THE CASE OF A LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT PERSON THEY WOULD GET A LETTER BUT THEY WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND IT. THEY WOULDN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO TO COMPILE BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T READ IT. AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE FRANKLY BORN IN THE UNITED STATE WHO LIVE RIGHT AMONGST US WHO DON’T READ VERY WELL.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESULT OF PEOPLE LOSING FOODSHARE AT LOCAL FOOD PANTRIES, FOR EXAMPLE?

SHERRIE TUSSLER:

WE’VE SEEN AN UPTICK OF SEVERAL THOUSAND PEOPLE VISITING FOOD PANTRIS HERE IN MILWAUKEE COUNTY. I’M NOT SURE WHAT THE UPTICK IS STATEWIDE. BUT I CAN SAW WHAT PEOPLE WILL FIRST DO IS TURN TO THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS WHEN THEY’RE IN TROUBLE. THEY DON’T HAVE FOOD ASSISTANCE ANYMORE. THEY WILL RELY ON THEM FOR A PERIOD OF TIME BUT MONTH-BY-MONTH WHAT WE SHOULD ANTICIPATE IS AN INCREASE IN HUNGER. AND WE DO KNOW THAT 41,000 PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR FOODSHARE BENEFITS. WHEN THEY LOSE THAT BENEFIT THEY LOSE A FEDERAL BENEFIT OF ABOUT $105 A MONTH. SO ALL TOGETHER THOSE 41,000 PEOPLE HAVE RESULTED IN A NET LOSS TO THE STATE OF WISCONSIN OF SOMEWHERE AROUND $16 OR $17 MILLION THAT WOULD BE SPENT IN OUR LOCAL ECONOMY AT GROCERY STORES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

IT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE THAT BIG OF A BENEFIT BUT FOR PEOPLE ON THE EDGE THAT’S MEANINGFUL.

SHERRIE TUSSLER:

WELL, AS AN EXAMPLE, A PERSON ON SSI OR A RETIRED PERSON LIVING JUST ON SOCIAL SECURITY, THEY GET A $14 OR $16 BENEFIT PER MONTH. PEOPLE AREN’T GETTING RICH ON FOOD STAMPS CONTRARY TO A LOT OF THE MYTHS OUT THERE ABOUT FOODSHARE PROGRAM ARE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

HOW HARD DOES THIS HIT MILWAUKEE COUNTY IN PARTICULAR WHERE YOU ARE?

SHERRIE TUSSLER:

MILWAUKEE IS HARDEST HIT, OF COURSE, BECAUSE WE HAVE THE MOST POOR. SO HERE IN MILWAUKEE COUNTY AS OF DECEMBER, 16,000 INDIVIDUALS HAD LOST THEIR FOOD STAMPS. WELL IN EXCESS OF WHAT THE STATE FIRST ANTICIPATED. WE’RE EXPECTING THOSE NUMBERS TO HIT 32,000 ONCE THE DATA IS RELEASED AND THE FULL YEAR HAS OCCURRED.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALL RIGHT. SHERRIE TUSSLER, THANKS VERY MUCH.

SHERRIE TUSSLER:

THANK YOU.