Foundation Journal

Just when you thought you heard all the ways Missouri legislators and the governor have made life worse for poor people they pull another one out of the hat. This last move spells trouble for housing projects for homeless people . The trend over time has caused more despair for low-income and working poor people in Missouri. Here is a list of six ways that have Missouri officials have found to increase poverty for people in the state. 1. Make it difficult to obtain food assistance. In a supposed effort to improve the food stamp (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP) and public welfare application process, the Department of Social Services (DSS) in Missouri plans to consolidate 114 family support offices throughout the state . The state also removed an online application, making it more difficult for individuals and agencies to apply on behalf of individuals. While state officials have noted a drop in unemployment and food stamp participation, anti-poverty ...

Missouri workers face unprecedented attacks on their livelihoods, especially as they try to weather the ongoing economic recession. Missouri legislators are working this legislative session to further reduce state TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) benefits and force applicants to undergo drug testing . No pending legislation is requiring corporate executives or employees of large businesses receiving government subsidies to be tested for drugs, though fraud and corruption by those recipients of government benefits greatly exceed fraud by low-income workers. Missouri already provides one of the lowest allowable receipt of state TANF benefits in the U.S.; it's one of 15 states that max out a family's annual benefits to between 10 and 20% of poverty level. The federal poverty level is $18,310 for a family of three. Over the last 15 years, the national TANF caseload has declined by 60 percent, even as poverty and deep poverty have worsened. The numbers of fam...