By Angela Carter, Register Staff
acarter@nhregister.com

NEW HAVEN — Clients of the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs want policy makers to hear directly from them about which services are effective and which ones need to be improved.

The Mothers for Justice network attended Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget address last week and will be testifying before the General Assembly in support of bills that would allow recipients in the Jobs First program to use more of their time for education and extend the “Care 4 Kids” child care subsidy to help parents who are actively seeking employment.

“We want to build a partnership with the state,” said Sylvia Cooper, a program coordinator with Christian Community Action Inc., who provides staff support for the group.

Mothers for Justice used a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to hire a videographer to capture their personal stories. A short film will be released during a public event at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Hospital of Saint Raphael auditorium.

“Who can tell the story better than those who are living it?” Cooper said.

The film is called “Living in a Broken System: The Life and Times of Connecticut TANF Recipients.” Admission is free.

Elaine Peters, a member of Mothers for Justice who will be giving introductory remarks Thursday, said that in addition to TANF policies, the women also have advocacy committees focusing on re-entry challenges for ex-offenders and housing.

“I have a lot of credentials and certifications, but I can’t find a job. I look for work every day. I go to CT Works every day,” she said of a one-stop career assistance center in New Haven.

Cooper will give a presentation on the policy recommendations that will be submitted to the legislature for moving recipients off programs formerly referred to as welfare and toward self-sufficiency.

Among the recommendations are to change the income guidelines for families who need food assistance, improve interactions between case workers and recipients and give mothers more flexibility in opting for food assistance over cash as their incomes fluctuate. Continued...

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“Mothers for Justice is a group we’ve supported since 1993,” said the Rev. Bonita Grubbs, executive director of CCA. The organization exemplifies how empowering it can be to give people chances to work on projects and issues that are important to them.

“It is not just realistic. It is not just personal. It is authentic enough to pass along to people who are in government positions. And the recommendations are realistic about what’s possible, given the budget situation,” Grubbs said.

Connecticut is facing a projected budget deficit of $3.2 billion in fiscal year 2012 and $2.9 billion in 2013.

Call Angela Carter at 203-789-5752. Follow us on Twitter @nhregister.

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