Value of work supports for low-income families at historical low

This is the second in a three-part series on crucial work-support programs that have been reduced in the wake of the recession. The third posts will focus on the impact of a 60-month time limit for families receiving work support.

By Kim Justice and Lori Pfingst

Washington’s WorkFirst program provides low-income families temporary cash assistance while they look for work. The Governor’s plan to cut cash assistance by 15 percent will severely limit parents’ ability to meet their family’s basic needs, such as food, shelter, and transportation.

The effects go beyond the individual family.  Less money to spend on basic necessities like food, clothing, and transportation means less money being pumped into the local economy.  Children living in economically fragile families are more likely to become sick, perform poorly in school, and become involved with the criminal justice and child welfare systems.  Communities suffer by not having the full engagement of their residents. 

 Currently, the maximum WorkFirst grant for a family of three is $562 per month. The Governor  plans to reduce this amount to $478 per month beginning February 1, 2011.  The value of the WorkFirst grant has reached an historical low, with the proposed benefit level covering just one-quarter (26 percent) of the resources needed to maintain the state’s own definition of a basic standard of living (Figure 1). 

Figure 1

Source: Need standard for a family of three living in WA obtained from WAC 388-478-0015. The need standard is the state’s estimate of the amount of money families need per month in order to maintain a very basic standard of living. The need standard is adopted into the Washington Administrative Code on an annual basis.