Gnats, camels, and kids

 The recent clothing voucher kerfuffle would have been entertaining to watch if not for the harm that’s been done to thousands of children and the slander dumped on the heads of struggling low-income families--of which we have many in West Virginia--from the state’s highest office.

Let’s start with the changing story for shortchanging this vital program that’s been around for decades.

First, the delay in starting the program this year was blamed on a structural deficit for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Programs. That’s debatable, but at least it’s potentially a starting point for a realistic argument.

Then, there was pulling the plug on the delayed program after only a week due to the claim that there was no money. The program, if funded at last year’s level, would have cost around $11.4 million. In early July, the governor’s office announced a $370 million revenue surplus. The arithmetic isn’t exactly self-evident.

By early August, the story shifted to insulting claims about parents using the voucher electronic benefit cards (EBTs) for beer and cigarettes.

Imagine how it would look in other situations if someone kept changing the story.

It’s also striking to me that clothing vouchers are subject to this kind of evidence-free accusation while the much more expensive Hope Scholarship gets a pass.

The clothing voucher is worth $200 per child. The Hope program costs over $5,000 per student with no guardrails, or 25+ times more. By the end of the last fiscal year, this cost the state around $155 million. The legislature allocated $277 million for the 26/27 school year, again over 25 times more than the voucher cost last year.

Talk about a lot of beer and cigarettes.

Is the unequal scrutiny of the two programs because the vouchers are specifically for low-income families while even the wealthy can get Hope? I guess it’s easier to punch down, although I’ve never seen the attraction of it.

 That kind of glaring contradiction reminds of a saying of Jesus, who condemned hypocrites for “straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel” (Matthew 23:24).

Supposedly, the beer and cigarettes caper was made possible because the voucher benefits are now delivered by an EBT card. However, as journalist Steven Allen Adams noted,

“The School Clothing Allowance used to be a paper voucher, but the previous administration of former Gov. Jim Justice made it an EBT card instead, allowing greater flexibility for families to extract those funds for places that don’t accept EBT cards to purchase clothes and back-to-school supplies. The previous paper voucher system also was a pain for retailers and also meant waiting long periods for reimbursement from DoHS.”

If state leaders want to go back to the paper voucher system, fine. They can do that next year. But that’s no reason to hurt the families who need help the most now.

"Kids grow. Clothes don't."

Years ago, I interviewed over 100 low-income West Virginians about changes to safety net programs for families with kids. They had a lot to say, but one zinger from a mom sticks in my mind today: “Kids grow. Clothes don’t.”

I imagine a lot of West Virginia parents have been thinking the same thing these days, after the governor delayed opening the application period for the clothing voucher program, which helps low-income families buy shoes and clothing for the new school year. Usually it opens on July first, but this year that was delayed to July 20. Before that, there was some question of whether the program would be continued at all.

If that wasn’t enough, the state announced that it would stop accepting applications a week later, claiming that it ran out of funding. In the past, applications were accepted for around a month.

This happened shortly after the governor announced a $370 million surplus. 

Let’s just say the optics aren’t great.

By way of background, this program has been around since the 1990s, when it was enacted by then Republican Governor Cecil Underwood. According to the WV Department of Human Services, the vouchers can be used for “clothing appropriate for school such as pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, shoes, coats, underwear and other basic clothing.” Families that make their own clothing can use them for piece goods. Last year, the benefits were worth $200 per child. 

Last year, more than 57,000 received the vouchers, although the number has been higher in recent years. When this year’s program was shut down, only around 51,000 applied, although at this point it’s not clear how many will be approved.

Some members of the legislature from both parties were not amused. Republican Delegate Evan Worrell of Cabell County, who chairs the House Health Committee, was quoted as saying “We appropriated the funding requested by the governor for the school clothing allowance from TANF funds, so it is difficult to understand why families experienced weeks of delays only to see the program close after one week.”

Kanawha County Democratic Delegate Kayla Young expressed similar concerns: “The delayed voucher funds after only a week tells us that West Virginia families are struggling more than ever to make ends meet. Children deserve dignity at school, and I hope the administration will work with the Legislature to ensure all children are fed and clothed in our state.

Republican State Treasurer Larry Pack also issued a forceful statement, saying “It is outrageous and unacceptable that, as we celebrate millions of dollars in surpluses, we claim we lack the proper funding for programs that protect our most vulnerable children. Providing for these needy children is a fundamental duty of government. With rising costs, we must do more to ensure that needy families have the resources required to give their children a real chance at success.”

When the program was launched nearly 30 years ago, a spokesperson for Governor Underwood said that “Two important aims of the program are to provide adequate clothing for children and to remove the stigma that children often face because of their financial circumstances.”

The pain of stigma for kids facing poverty shaming by peers and adults is a real thing. It can cause low self-respect, anxiety, and depression. Shaming can also lead to bullying, poor academic performance, non-participation in extracurricular activities, acting out, and absenteeism. The consequences can last a lifetime. As social researcher Brene Brown observed, “Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.”

Decades ago, the psychologist Kenneth Keniston noted that “The psychological pain--and the ethical shame--of American poverty are made greater by the fact that this country possesses the wealth and the energy to raise all children to a minimally decent standard of living.”

Public budgets aren’t just numbers on a page or screen. They’re a reflection of the values that people in power actually hold, not just the ones they profess. 

Jesus said it best: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

(This ran as an op-ed in the Charleston Gazette-Mail.)