AUGUSTA — The lead editorial in the Oct. 6 Portland Press Herald, “Our View: Most of the easy answers on welfare are wrong,” misconstrues the LePage administration’s work on welfare reform and the intensified effort to reconnect people with the opportunity to improve their lives and those of their families through meaningful employment.

Building relationships that help people return to work is not an easy answer. It is the right answer and it is worth our investments. The best way out of poverty is a job.

For far too long, previous administrations failed to focus on employment. Instead, they focused on ensuring the maximum level of support was being delivered across all programs. As a result, generational poverty and dependence on government assistance continued to grow.

Even today, those who oppose Maine enforcing federal work participation requirements somehow believe that this continued dependence is in the best interest of the person and family receiving support. They fail to recognize that “work” is not a four-letter word and that employment has far more value than the income earned.

We are working to prevent Mainers from needing welfare benefits in the first place by improving public education and economic opportunity. More than 8,000 jobs are listed in the Maine Department of Labor’s Job Bank now, and other websites offer more. Transitioning a welfare recipient to a job or career takes dedicated resources, time and effort of both the person receiving benefits and those providing support.

By reducing the number of people receiving benefits through policy change, Gov. LePage has been able to re-invest funds to build a skilled team to assess job readiness, identify barriers to employment and plow through them. The team teaches resume-writing and job interview skills, helps identify child care and transportation support and finds education and training assistance.

Advertisement

The editorial states: “The discussion about welfare has to move past why people are on government assistance to how they can get off it.” It appears that the Press Herald has not been watching our actions, nor reading or viewing other media reports about our efforts.

More than two years ago, Gov. LePage led the formation of a tri-agency collaborative to help people get back to work. The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education have created and supported a unified approach to this effort.

Unlike previous administrations, we focus on what people can do, not what they can’t. We also find out what they want to do.

Next, we help people identify their own skills and interests to define a career path. If a high school diploma or specific training is needed, our staff coordinates referrals to the appropriate programs. We stay in touch with the recipient throughout this process. When the skills have been developed, we place them in a work experience matching their career goals.

We teach modern job search techniques and take the necessary steps to ensure success once a person is employed. When that recipient gets a job, many of the supports continue in order to strengthen the likelihood of a strong start to independent living.

This work isn’t easy.

Advertisement

Those who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families have benefited the most from this during recent months. We are helping more than 1,200 Mainers find full-time careers by assessing their skills and matching them with jobs that work for them.

This collaboration is paying off in both measurable results and personal achievements. The feedback from a woman in Houlton reflects the many positive refrains we’ve been hearing: “You helped me see I have more potential than I thought I had, thank you!”

In terms of measurable results, 938 TANF recipients have been referred to the worksite program. Of those, 266 have been placed in work experiences; another 150 people are now working. More than 600 worksites for participants have been developed by 500 Maine employers.

While it most certainly is not easy work, the rewards for both our staff and the people we serve are immeasurable, far exceeding the face value of a paycheck. This woman from Washington County said it best: “I am learning; I know about poverty and I am climbing out. I am setting a good example for my children and I feel better about myself. I am proud of myself and I love my new job!”

As the governor has stated repeatedly, dependency on government programs has never led to prosperity – and it never will. We look forward to our continued success in helping people move off welfare and into meaningful jobs and careers.

— Special to the Press Herald


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.