2010 Unemployment Benefits - from Unemployment to Food Stamps

2010 Unemployment Benefits - Unemployment benefits ran out for 1.2 million jobless American's during the month of June as the Senate wrangled over a H.R. 4213, the "American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010" which included UI extensions.

By June 30, the Senate could still not achieve cloture on a greatly whittled down version of of the bill which focused primarily on unemployment extensions, and so they adjourned for a 12-day Independence Day recess.

Now, back from recess, over 2 million of America's unemployed have lost their benefits. And so the lines of unemployed at the employment office have moved to the welfare office.

Losing the only income keeping many from starvation, the millions that had been struggling to survive on unemployment benefits have been forced to turn to their local welfare offices for food stamps and family aid. Welfare offices across the country have seen major increases in people in need. Phone lines have been jammed in many. They are trying to divert aid seekers to their website as they can't handle the volume of calls.

Some will find a little help here, but it will not be as much as they were receiving in unemployment benefits - which was seldom enough to keep people in their homes in the first place. Already struggling to keep a roof over their heads on UI benefits but now reduced to welfare, many could soon wind up on the street or in homeless shelters that will quickly become overburdened.

Many will not find help from the welfare office either. A lot of government aid programs focus on families with children. For parents, particularly single parents, there may be some aid, but for adults without children or those who's kids are over the age of 18, there may be little assistance available.

(Check with your local welfare office online to find out the criteria.)

Income restrictions are extremely tight, too, for welfare recipients, as well they should be. But under the current economic circumstances, it may create major problems for the unemployed. If they have any other form of income, say a disability or social security check, it could put them above the maximum income allowed to receive aid.

Older Americans may be the hardest hit, and by "older" I mean over mid-40s, or early 50's on up. This age group seems (anecdotally) to make up the lion's share of the "long-term" unemployed, as employers skip over them for various reasons. They're children are often grown and gone so many of the welfare benefits extended to adults with children in the household, these "elderly" may not qualify.

This situation for the unemployed is very dire. It's no wonder the level of discouragement, anger and fear. These millions of people were working not that long ago and paying taxes to fund welfare and unemployment benefits for others.

Many owned homes or condos, sometimes for many, many years and faithfully made their payments. Now they cannot make their payments, and often cannot sell in time to avoid foreclosure. They stand to lose everything, lose their homes and all the momentos of their lives there.

Millions of Americans have already left their homes and moved in with family or friends. Many more don't have such options available and will wind up on the street.

Families are struggling to keep their children fed and the utilities on.

Several hundred thousand are expected to fall from the unemployment line to the welfare line each week while Congress delays. For these people, the prospect of ever finding a new job grows more remote every day as they lose their cars, their electricity, their internet and phones, their address. Bad economic policy and a totally failed "stimulus" expenditure of over $1 trillion has left the country with no real job creation, just a lot more unsustainable debt.

Surely Congress will not - cannot let this go on. Surely they will see us and restore our unemployment lifeline before it is too late. Harry Reid could end this today and accept one of the many Republican proposals for unemployment extensions that don't damage the economy further.

Write, call and fax your Senators and Harry Reid and tell them to pass a paid for unemployment extension bill TODAY. This does not require waiting for a replacement for the late Senator Robert Byrd. It can happen today. (Read: "UI Extensions NOT Hinging on Byrd Replacement") Far to many of us cannot afford to wait another week for the Democrats to hold out.

Sources:

http://www.usmoneytalk.com/finance/unemployment-extension-welfare-lines-getting-longer-as-benefits-end-907/

http://www.dss.cahwnet.gov/foodstamps/