Twenty-seven years ago, Kristy Schofield was a homeless mother of two living in her car after escaping a domestic violence situation.
She eventually found her way to the Dream Center Peoria, a not-for-profit organization that aims to help families living in poverty in Illinois, where she now works as the director of homelessness and housing.
“I got what I needed to become self-sustaining,” Ms. Schofield told a panel of lawmakers from the House Work and Welfare subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday.
“I was so grateful that I’ve spent the last 25 years working with these programs as a director,” she said. “The work that I do, the accomplishments, have given me back the self-esteem that I lost through the homelessness.”
Republican lawmakers said her example illustrates the importance of work over welfare, and of their push to expand work requirements for welfare benefits, during the first congressional hearing ever held at a homeless shelter.
Ms. Schofield said that the common thread in many of the welfare cases she sees is the lack of self-esteem. That’s why the center partners with different work and education programs, even having trade training on site, to get people back on their feet and feeling accomplished.
The subcommittee held a public hearing at Pacific Garden Mission, a shelter in Chicago.
“No amount of handouts or government assistance, no matter how well-intentioned, can substitute for the intangible benefits and dignity that work brings to individuals and their families, and the ripple effect it has on communities,” said Rep. Darin LaHood, Illinois Republican and chairman of the subcommittee.
The bipartisan group of 10 lawmakers listened to witnesses from six centers throughout Illinois that offered assistance for people living in poverty. The hearing is used to gain insight into ways that work helps those in poverty, as the subcommittee advocates requiring more people in welfare programs to obtain work, so they can get off of welfare sooner.
“What we’ve lost sight of is that a job is the best anti-poverty program that exists,” said Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, Missouri Republican, adding that “relying on a government check can weaken an individual’s ability to use and grow their skills.”
Matt Paprocki, president and CEO of the Center for Poverty Solutions at the Illinois Policy Institute, said he’s found that work can reduce poverty by 87%, and only 2% of those with a full-time job are in poverty.
“Poverty today is less about food and housing insecurity and it’s becoming more about hopelessness and dependence,” he said. “Meaningful work can solve all of these problems.”
He listed three ways that Congress can help lift people out of poverty through work: end the benefits “cliff” that occurs when a person on assistance programs gets a raise that causes their benefits to end, expand tax credits for apprenticeships, and institute work requirements.
Several of the witnesses mentioned the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, and how the welfare program of today should shift back to the mindset that welfare is supposed to be temporary and that getting back into the workforce and being self-sufficient should be the focus.
Ranking member of the Worker and Family Support subcommittee Danny Davis, Illinois Democrat, said there are still many barriers people may face in obtaining “quality” jobs, like needing child care, needing paid leave, lack of education and skills, having criminal records and low wages.
“I strongly disagree with those that blame people for their poverty and suggest that the solution is low or no wage jobs with work requirements to make sure they don’t develop a dependency mentality,” he said. “Denying people food, housing, enough money to pay the rent, and making them work for free doesn’t give them dignity.”
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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