State of Massachusetts Archives: on Welfare & Poverty

Deval Patrick: Increase funding for employment and job training programs

Indicate which principles you support regarding welfare.
• Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
• Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
• Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to extend health and child care subsidies to the working poor.

Kerry Healey: Faith-based organizations ok for providing social services

A: I’m comfortable with it, but I do think that it would be preferable in the long run, to have a standardized state-wide curriculum that’s comprehensive, that is fully vetted with public hearings, and so forth. I presume that there is no religion being taught by this faith-based organization in the course of this curriculum.

Q: Then why have a faith-based organization?

Q: Faith-based organizations provide a lot of valuable social services. Throughout the Commonwealth, we have collaborated with Catholic Charities to provide various services. We work with the Black Ministerial Alliance to provide transitional services for people coming out of jails and prisons. There are any number of social services that we make use of the talents and the interests that faith-based organizations to bring their services to the public. And I don’t see any problem with that.