Report Finds Obstacles to Success at HRA Back to Work Program

A recent report by watchdog group Community Voices Heard found that the Human Resources Administration's (HRA) efforts to place work-ready clients in sustainable jobs through its Back to Work program is hampered by a high sanction rate and poor job placement and retention rates. Paralegal Fernando LeBron has seen the consequences up-close in his work at Queens Legal Services Corporation, a program of Legal Services NYC, City Limits Weekly reports.

Fernando Le’Bron has provided legal assistance
to welfare recipients since the 1980s. Ever since welfare reform took
hold in New York City a decade ago, he’s seen a steady increase in the
percentage of his clients on public assistance who are unable to work
because of a physical or mental disability or a substance abuse
problem. This is in part a reflection of the city’s success in moving
“work ready” people—those who do not have a physical or mental barrier
to employment—off of welfare and into jobs. Viewed from this
perspective, the city has had success in promoting greater
self-sufficiency.

But the story of welfare reform hardly ends there.
Le’Bron, a paralegal with the Queens Legal Services Corporation, says
that though his clients nowadays have more complex needs than ever,
they are at greater risk of being "sanctioned," or punished through a
reduction in benefits. The Human Resources Administration (HRA), the
city agency that administers cash assistance, “has been very proficient
in sanctioning people,” Le’Bron said. “They haven’t been so successful
in helping them avoid sanctions in the first place.”

Read the rest of the December 22nd article at City Limits Weekly's website.