Should excluded workers get ARPA funds?

By Rod Sullivan
Posted 12/7/21

One of the most frequent topics of conversation is how to handle people who were not eligible for the previous COVID relief money. Many refer to this group as “excluded workers.” I am not …

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Should excluded workers get ARPA funds?

Posted

One of the most frequent topics of conversation is how to handle people who were not eligible for the previous COVID relief money. Many refer to this group as “excluded workers.” I am not talking people who are in need here — though many of them might be. The General Assistance Program addresses need-based assistance. I am talking about payments to individuals who did not get the federal COVID relief. Should the city and/or county try to make up for this?

I believe the county should provide direct assistance to excluded workers. I have said so from the very beginning. I voted to do so. There are some details to be figured out, however. Johnson County has had attorneys and other staff combing the internet to learn what other counties and cities are doing. The answer, so far, is not much. While I had hoped we might get some aid out the door by now, it appears we are working more quickly than most jurisdictions.

Handling the many ARPA decisions has been a challenge. Unfortunately, it has been made much more difficult by a group of white “allies.” Understand, most of the people who have written us or spoken at our meetings are good hearted, well-intentioned people who care about immigrants. I salute them. The group that tells all the lies and causes all the problems consists of a small subgroup of about six people.

These “allies” continue to put forth the lie that “workers have received no assistance.” But literally hundreds of people have accessed the Johnson County General Assistance program. Hundreds utilized the CWJ program. Yes, perhaps these folks did not get federal money. But to say they have gotten nothing is in most cases, completely false.

Should there be any rules as to who is eligible? Despite what the white “allies” have said, I believe so. If you already received federal money, you should not be eligible for a direct payment. I think the person receiving funding needs to be 18. If they are in need but younger than 18, the child welfare system should be involved.

I think recipients should have a Johnson County address. I helped give away $50 food boxes twice during the pandemic. Lots of cars drove in from Washington, Iowa, Cedar, Muscatine, and Louisa counties. If people will drive 40 minutes for a $50 box of food, people will drive two hours for $500. To give money to people who do not live here is not fair to Johnson County residents. We have a lot of poor people in Johnson County, and we need to focus on the people that are here.

There may be a few more common-sense considerations. The point being, the original “no rules” stance put forth by this group is a ridiculous position to have staked out.

There are still many unanswered questions. If the county does try to help individuals who were excluded from federal assistance, who should be eligible? Will cities be helping? What rules will the feds impose? What about people who were helped by the Center for Worker Justice? (The CWJ spent well over $500,000 in direct payments to over 700 families who were skipped by the feds. Should someone who received CWJ money still be eligible?)

We may also find ourselves limited in terms of exactly who is going to be eligible to receive the funding. The definition of “excluded worker” may not pass federal muster. We may have to spend the money based on need, where a person lives, or other factors. If “excluded worker” ends up not being an acceptable category, I’ll push for the assistance to be need-based.

I will note that I fully expect Johnson County to be the only county in Iowa that does anything to help these folks. Yet you will only hear criticism levelled at Johnson County.

And yes, I have heard from many people who do not feel any ARPA funds should go to undocumented immigrants. Opponents exist in Johnson County in large numbers. I disagree with them; I want to help everyone in our community to thrive. I’m simply immersed in an exercise in futility — defending a group whose supporters are attacking you.

One final reminder: if a person needs assistance because they are poor, that assistance is available. Excluded workers can utilize this help right now assuming they meet the financial requirements. So can anyone else.

Johnson County has over 19,000 food insecure residents. Some of those folks are undoubtedly excluded workers. Most are not. I think it is critical that most of the funds we distribute be done so based upon need.

Rod Sullivan has served on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors since 2004.