Who Is Responsible for Helping Poor Children?
Poor children are not responsible for their poverty, but they are placed at risk because of it. Modern societies have a variety of agencies to help poor children. Some of these agencies are part of national programs and some are state or city agencies. Many of these agencies are funded by taxpayer dollars, but others are funded by charitable organizations.
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The U.S. Agency for Health and Human Services (HHS)
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Two of the department at the U.S. Agency for Health and Human Services (HHS) helps low-income families. The Administration for Children and Families runs Head Start (for 3-to-5-year-olds) and Early Head Start (for 0-to-3-year olds). The Office of Family Assistance operates the TANF program (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), which provides financial assistance to low-income families with children when the parents are seeking work or attending school. Recipients of TANF also are eligible for child care while they are seeking work or attending school. The same agency, Health and Human Services, also operates the Center for Medicare and Medicaid. This office operates both the Medicaid program and the CHIP program. Medicaid pays for the medical services and supplies given to all low income individuals -- adults and children. CHIP plays for medical services and supplies given to children when their parents earn too much for Medicaid, but not enough to pay for private insurance.
The Community Action Partnership
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The Community Action Partnership is a collection of local Community Action Agencies. These agencies provide a variety of services to low-income families. The services vary with each agency. Some examples are food banks, community newsletters, training programs, stimulus money for new businesses and a variety of other local programs to help poor children and help their parents out of poverty.
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Healthy Families America
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Healthy Families America (HFA) was founded in 1992 by a collaboration between Prevent Child Abuse America -- formerly known as the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse -- and the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Now it is a national initiative to help parents of newborns get their children off to a healthy start. HFA is largely oriented to reducing the epidemic of child abuse. Every year, 3 million cases of suspected child abuse and neglect are reported to Child Protective Service (CPS) agencies, HFA is administered by local branches that provide in-home visiting services for families living in poverty. Participation in HFA services is strictly voluntary.
The U.S. department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a variety of programs for low-income people. These programs include public housing, rental assistance ("Section 8"), and affordable housing programs. Depending upon the locality and the individual facility, families can often receive housing assistance via these programs. Local programs for the homeless (for example, Horizons for Homeless Children and Family Promise) also provide housing assistance to low-income families.
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