Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 11/11/04)

Social justice activists from throughout Northern Virginia gathered recently at St. Mark Church in Vienna for the SALT (Social Action Linking Together) fall conference.

Nearly 90 people attended the conference to prepare for advocacy on behalf of marginalized Virginians in the upcoming session of the General Assembly.

During the session, which begins Jan. 12, SALT members will work for the implementation of a rental assistance program, improved conditions in assisted living facilities, an investment in human services and transitional assistance for drug offenders.

Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites, a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Vienna, addressed SALT members at the conference, in addition to Delegate Vincent Callahan of St. John Parish in McLean, Delegate Steve Shannon of St. Mark Parish and Delegate Jim Scott. Father Gerry Creedon, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Arlington and chair of the Arlington Diocesan Peace and Justice Commission, led the opening and closing prayers.

Devolites described her bipartisan effort with Delegate Vivian Watts to improve conditions in assisted living facilities, the result of a series in The Washington Post documenting deplorable conditions in some facilities. While Devolites maintained she and Watts found no indication these problems are widespread, she recognized that even one facility mistreating its residents requires action. She and Watts developed several recommendations, including licensing administrators of the facilities, increasing fines for failed inspections, expanding inspections to include the residents’ behavior and mental health and closing facilities if necessary.

In addition to those recommendations, SALT coordinator John Horejsi suggested increased pay, better training and background checks for employees of assisted living facilities. He reminded Devolites that SALT members want this problem addressed through action, not studies.

Callahan, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, provided advocates with good news in the form of increased revenue in the state budget. He reported a $350 million to $400 million surplus for a one-year period and assured the group that an increase in TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) benefits and funding for rental assistance top the list of spending priorities for this surplus.

That is welcome news indeed for Sue Capers, public policy coordinator for the Virginia Coalition for the Homeless and advocate for the rental assistance program. Drawing from her many years of experience working with the homeless, Capers explained to SALT members that helping working poor families with housing costs often prevents them from becoming homeless. While national standards recommend spending no more than 30 percent of income on housing, many families far exceed that.

The rental assistance program closes the gap between 30 percent of a family’s monthly income and the Fair Market Rent value in their area. Qualified families would receive 12 months of assistance through the program. Capers said this program targets those transitioning from welfare to work and working poor families. "Many of the working poor are in shelters," she added. "We need to free up their beds for the chronically homeless."

SALT’s annual "Home for the Holidays" campaign provides green postcards for advocates to send to their legislators regarding the need for the rental assistance program. Several diocesan parishes will distribute the cards, along with a sample 30-second letter, in December. Horejsi noted that SALT is known for its green cards that pour into legislators mailboxes every Christmas season.

Horejsi also remains hopeful that additional revenue in the state budget will benefit the poor in the form of a cost of living increase for TANF recipients and full funding for a child support program. TANF monthly benefits have increased only once since 1985 in Virginia and remain among the lowest in the nation. Funding for the child support pass-through program, which requires the state to give child support to the custodial parent (rather than assign it to the state), has been cut by 50 percent.

Horejsi maintained the state has an obligation to fund these programs. "TANF is a federal block grant with a lot of flexibility," he said. "When Virginia spent down its rainy day fund, it also started using TANF funds to help balance the budget. State programs were unfunded, then refunded using TANF money. We want them to correct that and give the money back to TANF."

Gina Cerasani, a member of the SALT leadership group, outlined a proposal to help former drug offenders by ending the lifetime ban on TANF benefits and food stamps. The ban originated from the 1996 federal welfare reform law, but the legislation allows states to modify or opt out of the ban entirely and 34 states have done so.

Cerasani explained that it is difficult for those affected by the ban to become self-sufficient with no support services. In addition, many residential drug treatment programs accept payment in the form of food stamps and TANF payments, so the ban has the effect of reducing the number of people who can afford treatment.