Date of Award
Fall 12-15-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Department
History
College
College of Humanities and Fine Arts
First Advisor
Shari Orisich
Second Advisor
Louis Keiner
Abstract/Description
Public assistance programs and community-based initiatives have aided Philadelphian’s residents in a cohesive effort to fill the gaps of community-needs. While both are inherently different in their methodologies and executions, their structures are built upon a collective foundation of legislative principles and policy-based ordinances in Philadelphia. These concepts, first began with poor laws and religious organizations in the 19th century, have turned into a complex system that has fallen tremendously short of sufficiently addressing the specialized needs of Philadelphian families. The surrounding laws for public assistance program administration (e.g. TANF and WIC), are founded within the objectives of these poor laws, and they have been developed and adapted long after the introduction of these legislative concepts. Throughout this dissertation I will argue that the decentralization of public assistance policies has created a patchwork system that perpetuates inequities—further complicating the process of accessing necessary and adequate financial assistance. This has left cost-burdened Philadelphian families to rely on community-based programs (e.g. A.I.C. and L.E.A.P.) to fill these gaps. These initiatives address essential community needs, but they also serve as a stopgap that, while inherently valuable, fails to meet the extensive and specialized needs of Philadelphia’s metropolis.
Recommended Citation
Casey, Gianna and Orisich, Shari, "Decentralized and Divided: Philadelphia’s Public Assistance System and Community-based Initiatives" (2024). Honors Theses. 496.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/honors-theses/496
Included in
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