Living on $4 a day
New York State hasn’t raised the Public Assistance Grant , also known as welfare, in 18 years. An individual only receive $112 a month—that’s less than $4 a day. The Hunger Action Campaign of New York State has a full breakdown.
The state’s disregard for its poorest residents has gone on too long. Housing Works’ No. 1 advocacy priority of 2008 and 2009 is fighting to increase the Public Assistance Grant. The state’s poorest of the poor are most affected in this economic downturn. The price of rice has gone up. The price of milk has increased. Just as the state has acknowledged that the middle class and working poor need some economic stimulus, so do the state’s most vulnerable residents.
We’re delighted that the Governor put in for an increase to the basic public assistance grant for the first time since 1990. Read more about this and other changes to New York State social services in the Housing Works AIDS Issues Update:http://www.housingworks.org/news-press/detail/so-so-budget-for-social-services/
Get Involved
To help Housing Works and other groups fight for the rights of poor people in New York State, please contact
newyorkadvocacy@housingworks.org
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Published every two weeks, the AIDS Issues Update is your inside source for in-depth activism news. Includes the best of the AIDS Issues Update blog.
Contact
The AIDS Issues Update is written by Diana Scholl. Send thoughts and story tips to Diana at d.scholl@housingworks.org.
