Community Change is a program initiated by the city in 1993 to generate funds to assist in providing food and shelter to Union’s needy. This assistance will continue into the future as Union City Council voted unanimously earlier this month to have the program provide summer cooling assistance in fiscal year 2011. This will be in addition to the winter heating assistance the program provides. Persons in need will be able to receive up to $100 once in the winter and once in the summer.
It’s a great, noble, decent and humane program, but like all such programs it can only carry out its mission if it has a secure and sufficient source of revenue. That reality is at the heart of a decision that divided city council earlier this month when it voted to limit those receiving aid to those who contribute.
The revenue for Community Change is generated from the rounding off of a city utility customer’s bill to the next dollar. The donations — no more than 99 cents per month or $11.88 a year per customer — are then placed in the Community Change fund to assist the needy.
When the program began, utility bills were automatically rounded-off but those who wanted to keep their 99 cents a month could submit a form and opt out. Many apparently did, possibly because they were in dire financial straits or maybe because they thought Community Change is a good idea but only if someone else pays for it.
Therein lies the problem of all government programs no matter how noble and how beneficial. They cost money and the only source of that money is the public. If the public is unwilling to pay for a particular program then the program must either be discontinued or limited to where expenditures match revenues. That’s what the majority of the city council did when it voted to limit Community Change assistance to those who actually support the program.
It was a wise step that should not only keep the program on a sound financial footing but perhaps get the people of this community to think seriously about preparing for the future by contributing to Community Change.
Like savings accounts, retirement funds and insurance, Community Change is a means of building a hedge against the uncertainties of the future. None of us are promised tomorrow, but we should all prepare for it regardless of whether we’ll be here to see it or not. tomorrow may bring us great riches and a healthy, happy life on easy street or it may bring us unemployment, illness poverty and even death.
We may hope for the former but we should definitely prepare for the possibility of the latter so we and/or our loved ones can successfully cope with it.
That’s what programs like Community Change are all about — preparing for the uncertainties of the future by setting aside the necessary resources today. The only way to do that, however, is to pay into it just as you would a savings account and/or retirement fund. If you don’t, then you shouldn’t expect to get anything from Community Change.
Council’s vote to limit the Community Change program was not unanimous. Two council members were opposed, saying they think people in need should be eligible for assistance whether they participate in the program or not. They said they couldn’t see turning someone down who needs help.
This is a good point but it does not get around the fact the ability of any program to help the needy is dependent on having sufficient funding. The more people who contribute 99 cents — or less — a month to Community Change the greater its ability to help those in need. The fewer who do, the less its ability to do so.
Community Change can and does make a great contribution to people’s lives but only if enough people contribute.
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