Brooks Says Back To School Money Being Abused
It was money intended to help low income families buy school supplies for their children, but some say the funds are being used to buy items not on anyone’s back to school list.
$200 a child: that’s how much the state started handing out to families on public assistance across New York this week under the back to school state welfare program.
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks says the program is being abused and is now calling on the governor to suspend it.
“What’s been reported to our department of human resources and witnessed by our county’s public assistance workers is really sickening at best,” said Brooks.
During a news conference Brooks said the county had turned up evidence the money was being used to buy flat screen TVs, cell phones, gaming systems and other luxury supplies – not back to school items.
Brooks says retailers like Walmart, Wegmans and Tops notified the county of this activity soon after the money was distributed. Brooks says she’s disturbed but not surprised.
“When you hand out $200 per child cash to a family with no strings attached, no requirements for spending it are we really surprised that people are buying flat screen TVs, iPods, Xboxes,” asked Brooks.
Brooks says the program could cost local taxpayers $7 million when it’s all said and done. With 32,000 eligible children in Monroe County, just administering the handout had become a problem.
“The waits are tremendously long and over the past few days we have had physical altercations among clients which is something that’s extraordinarily rare for us,” said Monroe County Human Services Commissioner Kelly Reed. “It really is mayhem.”
The program is being paid for with $140 million in federal stimulus funds and $35 million from billionaire George Soros. Brooks says buying a flat screen TV isn’t her idea of stimulating the economy or creating jobs, but says the county’s hands are pretty much tied since the money comes with no strings attached.