Beneficiaries of U.S. Welfare Programs - Essay Example

and Number Beneficiaries of U.S. Welfare Programs Submitted This essay aims to describe three U.S. social welfare programs, to identify a beneficiary for each program and discuss the help provided by different organizations, and to evaluate the ability of each social program to provide adequate support to the intended beneficiaries. Beneficiaries of U.S. Welfare Programs The federal government of the United States created a number of welfare programs to combat poverty and provide assistance to the needy (Anderson, 1980, p. 211). “Welfare” stands for well-being and refers to the healthy balance of people (Segal, 2010, p. 3). Therefore, the U.S. Welfare programs aim to stabilize the well-being and healthy balance of people of the U.S. The U.

S Welfare programs focus mainly on food needs of children, economics, and education. Among of these welfare programs are the School Milk Program of 1973, the Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by Obama. The School Milk Program of 1973 aims to provide free milk in schools especially in needy children. Approximately 111,000 half pints of milk were served daily and 13.5 million cartons were sold daily at reduced prices. Almost 3% of the total nonfarm milk consumption was allocated in school milk program.

In 1973, the milk, children received from this program is separate from the milk included in school lunches and breakfasts but the new school lunch act requires application of income rules for free and subsidized lunches to school milk. It is a prerequisite that schools participate in both programs, school milk program and school lunch act, in order to qualify the children for free school lunch and servings of extra milk (Anderson, 1980, p. 217). Education welfare programs such as Basic Educational Opportunity Grants are intended for needy college students and for students in vocational and technical schools.

There were 250,000 recipients of this program and two-third of them belongs to the family whose total annual income falls below $9,000. Apparently, the $11, 000 is the general income cut-off for a family of four. The maximum grant this program could give is $452 and ranges an average of $285. In 1974-1975, the maximum grant exceeds $800 due to increased funding. The federal government, however, certifies eligibility of candidates for the program (Anderson, 1980, p. 221). During the 21st century, elected President Obama focused to stabilize the economy of America. The U.S.

Department of Labor reported that over 12 million people (9.5%) are unemployed will rise to 10% before the recession ends (Weger, 2010, p. 64). With this alarming rate, Obama introduced the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This Economic Stimulus Bill infused $789.5 billion to economy. Its main goal is to strengthen the infrastructure, support state and local governments, provide tax assistance, and invest in health care, energy, the environment, and education (Weger, 2010, p. 64). Budget for this program will be allocated for the beneficiaries of different social welfare programs such as food stamps, unemployment benefits, low income tax credits, and veteran’s benefits (Weger, 2010, p. 65). The main issue for the creation of welfare programs is eradication of poverty and its effect to the society.

Government offers assistance and alternatives to the needy by means of these welfare programs. Poverty delineates several causes, often multifaceted and complex in nature. Social welfare policy and programs underwent revisions and changes depending on the prevailing economy and society’s views on the level of funding and amount of safety net to provide (Weger, 2010, p. 70). In line with the growing number of people, especially children, are more policy changes concerning poverty. Helping people to achieve economic stability means advocating for policy changes.

Thus, the U.S. Welfare Programs changes subsequently to meet the needs of its main beneficiaries – victims of poverty. References: Anderson, M. (1980). Social Welfare Programs. Welfare: The Political Economy of Welfare Reform in the United States (p. 211-226). California: Hoover Institution Press Publication. Segal, E. A. (2010). Social Welfare Policy and Underlying Values. Social Welfare Policy and Social Programs: A Values Perspective (2nd ed.) (p. 1-24). California: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning. Weger, M.B. (2010). U.S. Poverty and the Implications for Social Work.

Social Work and Social Welfare: An Invitation (2nd ed.) (p. 48-74). New York: Taylor & Francis/Routledge.