When we talk about the thousands of people who live in poverty in Maine, or the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to balance the state budget, the immensity of the problem and its scale can make it hard to comprehend.
But when I see a neighbor who is struggling, or a member of my community grieving the loss of a loved one, I instantly understand what I should do. I call on my friends, and we make meals for them, we help out with the children, and if more is needed, we do it.
We see the faces, understand the problem and do what we can. We lend a hand.
As part of current budget discussions, Gov. Paul LePage has proposed eliminating support for a small group of people who are desperately poor, aged and often disabled.
The cut would eliminate state-funded Supplemental Security Income for 82 Maine residents who have immigrated to the United States, often as refugees or asylees fleeing unsafe and life-threatening conditions in their country of origin.
Because of their age, disability and other barriers, these individuals often have trouble passing the stringent requirements to become a full U.S. citizen, or they are waiting as the wheels of government slowly turn toward a decision on an asylum request. They have few places to turn to for help.
The income support provided through SSI is truly a lifeline for these elderly and disabled Maine residents. Not just a stranger, but a neighbor — a member of our community, grateful to be here, grateful to be alive and living in a state that cares for the most vulnerable.
It is a small number of people, and that makes the proposed cut extremely personal. And because the number of people affected is so small, the overall impact on the state budget is also relatively small. Cutting the income support program will save only about $500,000 in the first year.
It won’t balance the budget. But it will throw 82 lives into complete disarray.
Kadra and her three children came to Lewiston from Djibouti, fleeing violence and political persecution. Kadra has applied for asylum, but no decision has been made. While she has waited, her health has deteriorated and she now requires dialysis three times a week. She doesn’t have access to health insurance and SSI provides the income she needs to pay her rent and buy the medicine she needs.
If lawmakers go along with the governor’s proposal, they will be turning their backs on Kadra and other people with similar stories.
Unfortunately, it is too easy to cast these men and women as others — people who aren’t from here and who are somehow not deserving of help or assistance. They have few advocates and little chance to advocate on their own behalf.
But as we balance the many competing priorities and demands on state resources, it would be a terrible injustice to turn our backs on these men and women — our neighbors — many of whom have already suffered greatly.
Give us hearts to see, when shadows have clouded our sight. I am reminded of the words from Zechariah 7:10 “Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother. Do not oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, not the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.”
These men and women, who have come to our communities, often at the end of a perilous journey and hardship-filled lives, deserve our mercy and compassion.
Morally, we have no choice. Beyond the numbers in the budget, these men and women are our neighbors and they need our help.
Without this important program, these vulnerable people face an uncertain and dangerous future.
Cutting SSI doesn’t solve the underlying problem of extreme poverty. Instead it shifts the costs to other places, including emergency shelters, food pantries and already overburdened community supports.
Ending this program isn’t a solution. Instead, it is more akin to trying to wish poverty away. It will only make things much worse.
Eliminating SSI for these families will increase hardship and create even greater need. It is short sighted. And it ignores the obligations all of us have to one another.
Sandra Thompson OFS is a member of the Secular Franciscan Order, serving on the national Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation Commission. She is diocesan staff person for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. She lives in Lewiston.
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