January is National Poverty in America Awareness Month: a time to recognize and address the issue of poverty in our nation and our community. The DSS DEI Steering Committee invites you to join us in reflecting on the tremendous positive impact of the work you do at DSS, and considering how the lens of DEI helps us address the disparate impacts of poverty more effectively. Read on to learn more!
According to 2021 United States Census data, the poverty rate in Santa Barbara County is 15.8% overall and 18% for children.
The eligibility programs administered by the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services—Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, and General Relief—are crucial in reducing poverty and the impacts of poverty for County residents. Medi-Cal provides over 170,000 County residents with access to health care services. CalFresh helps over 50,000 individuals and families in our County afford groceries. CalWORKs serves over 2,400 County families with cash assistance and employment service. General Relief provides cash and services to over 200 very low-income individuals in our County. In all, these programs are a lifeline for thousands.
The lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) helps us address the issue of poverty in several ways. One way is by recognizing the different experiences and needs of individuals and communities that are disproportionately affected by poverty, such as people of color, immigrants, and people with disabilities. DEI also involves recognizing systemic barriers and biases that contribute to poverty, such as discrimination in housing, education, and employment. Additionally, DEI recognizes that poverty is not just an individual issue, but a systemic problem that requires collective solutions.
DEI can guide the administration of anti-poverty programs in important ways. One way is by ensuring that the programs are accessible and culturally responsive to the communities they serve. This can involve providing language access, cultural competency training, targeted communication, and outreach and engagement through trusted community partners. Additionally, DEI is served when staff and administration of the programs are representative of the communities they serve, which can help to build trust and foster effective communication. DEI can also involve monitoring and evaluating programs for fairness and equity, and adjusting to ensure that all qualified individuals have equal access to their benefits.
DSS recognizes DEI by providing bilingual materials, bilingual and bicultural staff, interpretive (oral) and translation (written) services, staff training and resources, and materials addressing specific community concerns (such as flyers addressing the concerns of immigrant communities about Public Charge and CalFresh). We schedule standing outstation appointments in disproportionately affected neighborhoods (note: outstations are currently paused due to COVID), and enroll community members through partners that already have the trust of the communities they serve (such as Family Resource Centers working with communities that may traditionally mistrust government, and campus peers working with low-income first-generation college students). We inform every client of their civil rights and the appeals process. And we have a DEI Steering Committee, including all managers, applying a DEI lens every day to the programs we offer.
National Poverty in America Awareness Month is an important time to reflect on the issue of poverty in Santa Barbara County, and how we can help. And there are many ways to help, such as taking initiative to be sure clients are aware of all the programs they qualify for, making referrals to other community programs, donating or volunteering through avenues like the county’s United Way program, taking collective action through advocacy and support for programs (like ours) that help people survive and overcome poverty, and taking DEI into account.