New Yorkers who get food stamps and welfare benefits wait an average of three hours when visiting city facilities like the one where a young mother had her baby ripped from her arms by officers for sitting on the floor, an alarming new report revealed.
And when the city’s poor finally do meet face-to-face with someone for assistance, the experience usually isn’t pleasant.
The study, conducted by the Urban Justice Center’s Safety Net Project, found more than one-third of people said workers at city Human Resource Administration Job Centers “always” or “often” spoke to them in a mean, nasty or hostile manner. An additional 33% said they “sometimes” had that experience.
“The city really isn’t thinking through someone having to spend so much time in these places,” said Scott Wagner, the project’s managing director. “This is devaluing poor people’s time.”
When you’re waiting for three hours or longer — sometimes with children in tow — it also doesn’t make it easier when you’re forbidden from having any food or drink, added Kiana Davis, a benefits advocate with the project.
Jazmine Headley, 23, was waiting four hours at a public benefits office in Boerum Hill in December when she got into an argument with a security guard over whether she was allowed to sit on the floor The back-and-forth, part of which was captured on videotape, ended with HRA peace officers and city cops violently wrestling her son, Damone, from her arms, then arresting her.
Headley had gone to the office to have Damone’s daycare benefits restored so she could continue working.
In theory, she also had the option of calling, but for many benefit recipients that isn’t a realistic option. According to the Safety Net study, 10 out of 19 HRA Job Centers citywide were in compliance with their own rules less than 50% of the time. The survey also found that when asked how often calls to HRA are answered, more than 36% of people who responded said “never.”
Since video of the Headley incident went viral, the City Council introduced a dozen bills intended to reform the embattled city agency.
One would require the city to staff centers with at least one social worker. Another would require HRA to make public all complaints filed by people who receive benefits. A third would require HRA review all cases in which public assistance has been or will be terminated.
The Council is expected to hold a hearing on the bills Monday. The Safety Net Project is planning to hold a rally on the steps of City Hall beforehand.
“It has to be a city priority that we’re going to treat poor people better,” Wagner said.
