Pubdate: 7 Mar 1999
Source: Standard-Times (MA)
Copyright: 1999 The Standard-Times
Contact:  http://www.s-t.com/
Author: Polly Saltonstall, Standard-Times staff writer

WELFARE LAW MAY LIMIT ADDICTION RECOVERY

A wrinkle in the federal welfare reform law has prevented some drug addicts
from receiving substance abuse treatment and may jeopardize the existence
of some recovery programs, local drug counselors say.

The law bars states from providing cash assistance and food stamps to
anyone convicted of a drug-related felony.

But many drug treatment programs depend on benefits such as food stamps and
welfare cash payments to help pay for treatment, said Kym Barboza-Owens,
director of the YWCA of Southeastern Massachusetts' Women's Collaborative
Project. The YWCA runs a program called Reunion House that reunites
recovering addicts with their children.

"When someone who wants to get treatment and make something of their life
cannot get help, it's like a slap in the face," Ms. Barboza-Owens said.
"Folks caught in the cycle of addiction need these benefits to help pay for
the roof over their head while they seek help and treatment."

The 1994 federal welfare reform law bars states from providing cash
assistance and food stamps to anyone convicted for drug offenses after Aug.
22, 1996 -- when the federal bill was signed into law. No one is exempt
from the ban, including people participating in drug treatment or pregnant
women. The ban applies only to cash welfare assistance and food stamps, not
to Medicaid or other federal benefits.

Ms. Barboza-Owens and a handful of other local treatment providers raised
the issue Friday during a breakfast meeting with state Rep. Antonio F.D.
Cabral, who promised to work with the group on finding solutions. Mr.
Cabral was the only local legislator who showed up at legislative breakfast
in honor of Women's Addiction Week.

Although states may choose to drop the drug-felony welfare ban,
Massachusetts has not.

A spokesman for the Department of Transitional Assistance said he does not
know how many people have been affected by the law.

Spokesman Dick Powers said the provision depends on clients to provide
information about past convictions. Although the state does not do
background checks, anyone caught lying might be required to reimburse the
state for benefits, he said.

As of last summer, Connecticut, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma and Rhode Island
had lifted the ban. Another 19 states either had, or planned to modify the
ban to exempt some people, such as those enrolled in treatment programs,
according to the Legal Action Center, a New York-based advocacy organization.

"The ban has had an number of unintended consequences and does not do much
to promote recovery among past offenders or help them regain
self-sufficiency," said Robb Cowie, the center's director of state policy.
"In the end, it denies treatment to a lot of people who need it."

The ban could have a huge impact on transitional houses in New Bedford by
forcing them to absorb more costs, just at a time when the city needs them
most, said Florence Choate, executive director of Project Coach. Ms.
Choate's program provides job training and counseling and works with people
on probation.

Cindy Guy, house case manager at WRAP House, a 14-bed transitional home in
New Bedford for women recovering from drug addictions, knows the problem
only too well. WRAP House depends on food stamps and welfare payments to
help pay for its programs, she said.

"We can only have so many women come into the house that are not eligible
for food stamps," she said. "If I have six women applying and none are
eligible, obviously I cannot take all six."

Other area transitional and half-way houses have faced similar dilemmas,
she said.

Ms. Guy tries to help those she cannot serve by referring them to other
programs, but she knows some of those people may end up back on the streets.

"There are some women who cannot get treatment because of this," she said.

"And these days, it's rare to find anybody with a drug addiction who
doesn't have some type of felony conviction. Addicts do a lot of things to
get their drugs." 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Mike Gogulski