Editorial: We care about you, now leave

Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2002 | 8:55 a.m.

State and local governments have long had a responsibility to their low-income residents. It's only civilized for government to help families who would otherwise face life-threatening hardship. There is no question that qualifying families should receive some help so that they can eat, clothe themselves, have a roof over their heads and receive health care. But should the help extend to paying for their move out of state? It's a fair question, in light of a trend toward just that kind of "help."

The theory behind this growing program is that people should be enabled to move where the jobs are. A program at work in five California counties, appropriately named MOVE, provides low-income families with up to $3,000 in moving expenses if the breadwinner finds work out of state. MOVE officials estimate that in the four years the program has existed, about 1,300 families have relocated to other parts of the country -- 80 of them to Southern Nevada. California recoups the money rather quickly, as every move out of state means one less family collecting government assistance. But MOVE officials insist the program is centered around helping the families, and not around any desire by California to transfer responsibility for its low-income citizens to other states.

In one respect that's true. MOVE officials screen the families, provide job counseling, ensure that there really is a job waiting in the other state and account for the moving expenses. In another respect, however, the program is onerous. Packing families off to other states, when all that awaits is a low-paying job, is inherently risky. There will likely be no personal support system, such as family and friends. And many states -- Nevada, certainly, is an example -- do not have the caliber of social services that is available in California. What happens when the job doesn't pan out? It's up to the families to fend for themselves in their new locations, as they must sign an agreement before leaving California that they won't return and seek assistance there again.

Our view is that states, if they want to help families leave depressed areas, should move them to thriving areas within their own borders. This, combined with supportive services such as child care, housing subsidies, transportation credits, job training and counseling about such programs as Medicaid and food stamps, would be far more responsible.