Kristi

Kristi came to our legal advice clinic a couple of months ago.  She was looking for help in clearing her criminal records.  She has not been able to find a job or secure adequate permanent housing for several years now.  These barriers have led her to a downward spiral and landed her at a local homeless shelter.  Kristi’s criminal history is far from spotless.  There is really not much we can do to help her clear it up, at least nothing that will make a noticeable difference in preventing the legal discrimination she faces every time she applies for a job or a place to live.  Oh, and Kristi has three children.  She wants to get back on her feet so she can be a mother to them again.  Somehow, some way.

Kristi has moved from the emergency homeless shelter into a housing program that supports individuals over several months as they seek work, attend life skills classes, save money, and begin in many other ways to get their lives back on track.  Kristi has also long suffered from mental health issues, yet never has seemed to get the assistance and treatment she really needs to stabilize and overcome.  She is trying, but without the proper help the obstacles just keep stacking up.

Kristi may not be the most compelling, heart-melting story I share on here.  However, she is likely one of the more common examples of the struggles people face.  Far from innocent, yet seeking redemption, millions of folks with criminal records wake up everyday to the seemingly insurmountable barriers blocking their path up and out, forward and beyond.  They desperately desire change, seeking a new and better life, yet the systems and structures and stigmas keep them locked up and pushed aside.  Kristi made some mistakes.  She readily admits that.  But does she really deserve to be punished over and over and over again every day she wakes up feeling lesser than, unworthy, and ashamed?  Does Kristi really not deserve a chance to redeem herself, to pull herself up, and to make something of her life with another shot at being a mother, a productive, self-sustaining citizen, and a good neighbor to all?  Does she really not deserve a fair chance at life?

Why wouldn’t we want Kristi to succeed?  I struggle to understand why, but our society sure seems hell-bent on her demise.  And sooner than later it will send us all to our knees with her.

Mercy, most powerfully when we do not deserve You, come quickly.  For Kristi, for me, for us.

Day 25

You just got released from prison.  Now you are homeless, unemployed, and carrying a crushing debt burden.  How do you eat?  Care for yourself, your children and family?  Where do you find that helping hand to get you through this rough patch, back up on your feet, and send you off toward a self-sustaining, productive life?  Not through a job.  Many don’t have families or communities that will or want to help.  And the last ditch safety net of the government – forget about it.  What is one to do?

President Clinton signed welfare reform legislation in 1996 that imposes a five-year lifetime limit on Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) Program benefits, including food stamps.  These laws also require welfare recipients to work, including those who have young children and cannot afford childcare, in order to receive benefits.  But for someone who is required to check the “box” concerning criminal history on an employment application and for most housing options and suffers under a mountain of debt, it is very possible that even five years won’t be enough to get back on their feet.  For some it is a lifetime sentence of poverty, inadequate housing, and just plain struggle to survive.  And now they can’t get help to eat.  Even temporarily.

Clinton’s welfare reform law also requires that states permanently bar individuals with drug-related felony convictions from receiving federally funded public assistance.  As of 2011, only 16 states and the District of Columbia had taken advantage of the opt-out provision in the law for food stamps, and only 14 for TANF.  Exceptions for people in drug treatment have been made in most states.  But how many alcohol and drug treatment programs are available to those who cannot afford them?  If my experience is any indication, they are few and far between.  Even those programs that might be available often rely on a patient/client’s public assistance for room and board.  So you might as well cross this necessary treatment off the list for drug offenders.

The Legal Action Center states, “Those states that have retained the TANF and food stamp ban suffer the ill effects of counterproductive public policies that fail to address effectively the basic sustenance, housing, addiction, and other needs of people with felony drug convictions who are seeking to reintegrate into their communities. Denying food stamps and cash benefits to these individuals makes it much more difficult for them to support themselves as they leave the criminal justice system and reenter society, and much more likely that they will return to criminal activity and drug use instead of attaining sobriety and gainful employment.

States that eliminate or modify the bans on food stamps and TANF for individuals with drug felony convictions will benefit in a number of ways. Many individuals with criminal records have difficulty obtaining work, either because they lack the skills and education to qualify for a job, or because many employers have policies against hiring individuals with prior convictions. Public assistance and food stamps provide them with necessary survival assistance as they look for employment. By helping them lead more stable lives, public assistance and food stamps also can help reduce recidivism.”  *see Opting Out of Federal Ban On Food Stamps and TANF: Summary of State Laws — This site also has some “What You Can Do” suggestions that are quite helpful.

May we understand.  May we respond with compassion and reason.  May we seek social and individual responsibility with solidarity in the struggle.  May we walk in the light.

Lord, hear our prayer…