Agency plans poverty assault
by SARAH CHACKO - Advocate (excerpt)

A report issued by the state Department of Social Services on Wednesday would guide the agency’s future investments to assist people in poverty, DSS Secretary Kristy Nichols said.

The agency has programs that focus on poverty prevention and intervention, such as food stamps, child-care assistance and asset-building. But Nichols said the report outlines a broader framework for future spending that focuses on work force, educational and family supports that directly impact poverty.

“We spend a lot of money already in child care, in TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), in our rehabilitation services, and in child welfare, all targeted at moving our clients into a sustainable employment opportunity,” Nichols said. “However, in all those instances, we do it in a very different, fragmented way, or we don’t do it well at all.”