Welfare Time Limit Affecting the U.P.

In September, Governor Rick Snyder signed the Midwest’s strictest time limit on welfare cash assistance into law.

As we mentioned recently on ABC 10 News Now, the four–year lifetime cap on cash benefits for all recipients took effect on October 1st.

Local social service agencies are seeing a difference from that.

People who’ve hit the four–year limit are coming to the Ishpeming St. Vincent de Paul thrift store looking for work clothes.

Financial aid volunteer Annie Trudell is asking them why they haven’t gone to work until now.

She says most lients are telling her they would have gone to work quite a while ago if not for the health care benefits and food stamps they would have lost.

But now, clients can keep those other benefits, if needed, while still going to work.

Trudell says most of her clients are grateful about that change.

Plenty of other avenues of help are also still open — Trudell suggests contacting the nearest Michigan Department of Human Services office about those.

The Michigan League for Human Services says about 80,000 Michigan families receive cash benefits under the Family Independence Program.

About 11,000 of them have already hit the new four–year limit even though it’s just three weeks old.