A
FRANCISCAN MINISTRY WITH AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES
SOLID
GROUND
IN
THE NAME OF NEEDY FAMLIES
(Thursday November 14, 2002,New York City) During the “Youth Health Care Forum for
Black Americans” held at St. Clare Friary in New York City, Solid Ground
Ministry, A Franciscan Ministry with African American Families, called for the
Congress to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare
program this year.
Fr. Jim Goode, OFM,
the pastoral director of Solid Ground Ministry stated “if it is not possible to
fully reauthorize the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families before the end of
this Congress, then in the name of needy families, we call on the Congress to
extend the program for three years with necessary improvements.”
The extension of the
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families should include:
a. Additional funding for child care
b. Assistance to legal immigrants.
c. Measures to promote and assist healthy
marriages.
d. Continuation of current abstinence-only
programs to reduce out of wedlock pregnancies.
e. Training programs in conjunction with
work.
f. Welfare policies that assist needy families
overcome poverty and the pain of being labeled as poor and disadvantage.
g. Measures that promote the dignity and well
being of every human person.
Solid Ground
Ministry encourages everyone to write/and or fax: Senator Thomas A. Daschle,
Senator Trent Lott and Senator Max Baccus, and request that they support the reauthorization
of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families welfare program. If this program cannot be fully reauthorized
before the end of this Congress, then extend the program with improvements for
three years.
For more information contact: sground440@aol.com
ST. CLARE FRIARY 440
WEST 36TH STREET NEW YORK
N.Y. 10018-6326
Tel: 212-868-1847 fax:
212-563-0787 e-mail:
sground440@aol.com