How much did Ayana receive in RCA benefits? What benefits did other members of her family receive? How did the Tuma family use these resources? Were these resources adequate for their basic needs?
Nathan Bierwirth, BSW, worked as an employment counselor for Pathfinders Social Services, a nonprofit agency serving the Minneapolis metropolitan area. Pathfinders provided employment services for people leaving welfare, persons with disabilities, the homeless, and immigrants, refugees, and asylees. Part of Nathan’s caseload consisted of newly arrived refugees enrolled in Minnesota’s time-limited Refugee Cash Assistance–Employment Services (RCA-ES) program. Individualized Employment Plans (EPs) helped refugees transition from welfare to employment and self-sufficiency. EPs required a minimum of 35 hours per week of RCA-ES–approved activities, including employment services and formal education (limited to 20 hours per week). Nathan’s client, Ayana Tuma, a refugee from Ethiopia, had no educational or work experience and knew no English. This prevented her from effectively participating in employment service classes, so she enrolled in a full-time English as a Second Language (ESL) program. When Hennepin County audited Pathfinders, clients like Ayana, who exceeded the 20 hour instruction limit, could be sanctioned and even terminated from the program. As the audit approached, Nathan wondered if he should report Ayana’s ESL hours accurately or falsify her Employment Plan.
Ayana received $250 per month of RCA support. She received $150 in cash and $100 in food stamps. We do not know what the other members of her family received, although it was likely that her older brothers received similar support each month since they, like her, were refugees without dependents. Her parents, however, probably received more monthly assistance because of the four younger children. Regardless of what other members of her family received, it required everyone to pool their monthly stipends to pay their rent and basic living expenses. Their living situation and financial standing were very precarious.
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