MAINE
ASSOCIATION OF
INTERDEPENDENT
NEIGHBORHOODS
PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER FOR PEACE, BREAD AND JUSTICE
MAIN Update Winter 1999
DHS Representatives meet with MAINAlready, several Women's Leadership Project participants responded to our call to action by joining many other MAIN members at the January MAIN meeting. At this meeting, Department of Human Services (DHS) representatives listened to the problems and challenges that Parents as Scholars (PaS) and ASPIRE participants face in these programs. The stories were both heart wrenching and powerful. Thanks to those who spoke up in order to make the programs work better for themselves and all who participate.
Now we must follow up! Judging from the response by our DHS visitors, we see a good chance to fix some of these problems. To follow up, we are writing DHS to make the following suggestions for change:
- Give the participant a check list of supportive services prior to signing their family contract;
- Support the elimination of the extra 20-hour work requirement in the 3rd and 4th year of PaS;
- Standardize the information and materials on ASPIRE and PaS used at all DHS offices;
- Determine "good cause" for less than a full-time school course load at the time of acceptance into PaS; and
- Before sanctioning someone for not fulfilling an ASPIRE requirement, determine if they had "good cause."
We want to thank all of you who attended to share your experiences, and we want to thank our guests from DHS, Judy Williams, Steve Telow and Rose Masure. We hope to continue this open communication in order that these programs achieve our common goal of serving the people of Maine.
