When Jenna Steinhauer '04 discovered New Jersey was not in compliance with state welfare reform law, she mobilized the Princeton Justice Project to speak before a state committee hearing on Monday.
The law says that every year New Jersey must update the standard of need — the minimum amount of money with which a family can maintain an acceptable standard of living.
But Robin Williams '04, who testified with Steinhauer to the N.J. Department of Human Services and Family Development, says the state has not updated the standard.
As a result, the welfare level has dropped too low, Williams said.
"Our goal was to prove that the proposed standard was too low to live safely and healthily in New Jersey," he said.
The current standard of need sets the benchmark minimum monthly living expenses for a single person at $778. For a two-person family, it is $1,126. For a three-, fourand five-person family, the standard is $1,465, $1,920 and $2,133, respectively.
Housing usually constitutes 25 percent of household finances. But in New Jersey, an average two-bedroom apartment costs $900 monthly — about 50 percent of the current standard of need.
Although an update to the standard has no binding effect on welfare rates, it gives state legislators a convenient starting point when establishing payment levels to the working poor.
Researching the need
With the help of William Potter '67, a local attorney and preceptor in the politics department, the students researched the standard of need for families ranging from two to eight members.
They presented their findings before the state committee to remind state legislators of the need for increased monetary assistance to underprivileged families. Project members also produced a written document as a public record for review by the state.
"There are tons of people in this country who do work, some of them multiple jobs, and still have to choose between paying the rent or feeding the kids," Williams said after the hearing. "I don't see welfare as a lifestyle or a career goal. To me it is something that helps people out when they run into a crisis or need help getting on their feet."
The standard of need is derived from a combination of six categories. Legislators consider costs of housing, food, transportation, personal care, household supplies and apparel.
The current standard is unrealistic and does not include such large expenses as child care and education costs, PJP members said.
According to the PJP, the standard of need for a single person, allows for transportation costs of $21. When one factors in insurance, gasoline, inspections and maintenance, the standard falls short of its aim to act as a reasonable barometer of monthly expenses.
Welfare law
The state welfare law, passed in 1997, required New Jersey to update the standard of need yearly. Steinhauer noticed state legislators had since failed to update the standard and wanted to present them with evidence that the benchmark was abysmally low for a working family.
After recognizing that New Jersey recently passed Connecticut as the richest state in the United States, PJP now wants N.J. legislators to improve the basic allowances made for the working poor.
"We want a reasonable standard set," Williams said. "Something respectful of the true nature of human life and needs and something that would realistically be enough for a family to live safely with enough food, shelter and resources to be participants and contributors to society."
He added that the presentation appeared to have had an impact.
"They were intrigued, I would say surprised," Williams said. "We definitely had their attention."
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