As the cold weather sets in and it becomes time to turn on the heat, New Yorkers feel the strain on their pockets as energy costs continue to rise. Currently about 30 percent of working families in New York are forced to choose between paying for food and expenses such as rent, medication, utilities and other bills. Sadly, at a time when New Yorkers are struggling financially, government assistance through welfare is at an all-time low.

The welfare grant - the basic grant plus shelter allowance - now totals only half of the federal poverty level. At $291 for a family of three, the basic grant is hardly sufficient; most families are forced to spend some of the basic grant on rent because the shelter allowance is much less than actual rent. Additionally, the prices of basic items have increased dramatically: A recent survey done by the Hunger Action Network shows that the cost of common household items covered by the basic grant increased 260 percent since the last grant hike 18 years ago.

Despite the fact that the state is in the midst of a financial crisis, New York has the money to properly fund welfare programs. Since the number of New Yorkers receiving welfare has dropped by half, there is a billion dollar annual surplus from the federal welfare grant block, i.e. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Instead of funding miscellaneous government programs to free up funds for other parts of the state's budget, the block grant should be used to raise benefits, as many other states have done.

While the number of New Yorkers receiving welfare benefits has dropped sharply, the number of people living in poverty has not. Over the past four years, 75 percent of emergency food programs have seen an increase in the number of participants. Children are suffering the most in the face of financial hardship: with 14 percent of its children living in poverty, New York has one of the highest childhood poverty rates in the country.

Gov. Paterson and the New York State Legislature need to better allocate funds to assist the poor, especially during this financially stressful winter. Thanksgiving is the time when people reach out to the less fortunate, yet it is important to remember that poverty and hunger exist year-round. Hopefully our leaders can recognize the immediate need for improvements in the welfare system.

Madeleine Page

Albany

Page is an intern with the Hunger Action Network of New York State