2008 Campus-Community Partnerships

<< prev next >>

Community Voices

Abstract: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was legislated in 1996 to transition parents on welfare into the workplace. TANF was designed to decrease the number of families dependent on cash-aid and increase their sustained employment. The program was not designed to decrease poverty or to support poor non-welfare families, even though TANF’s target audience is poor people. Ten years later, TANF has succeeded in increasing the number of families who are poor, struggling and still dependent on child care subsidies, even while state eligibility requirements tighten in order to decrease the number of families receiving subsidies. Community Voices was designed in response to the need to empower parents to become their own advocates and in recognition of the reality that current government priorities and available resources do not parallel the needs of Los Angeles’ working poor families. Crystal Stairs will work with eight Resource & Referral agencies across Los Angeles County to hold meetings, develop parent leaders, coordinate parent internships at legislative or administrative district offices in Los Angeles County, introduce parents to a variety of advocacy actions and have them organize and participate in at least 5 advocacy actions over the course of the project, including rallies, "advocacy days", hearings, meetings with public officials, policy stakeholder meetings, organizing retreats and legislative visits all to reach the goals of encouraging civic engagement and improving local policies that impact parents.