Sue Townsend Quotes

The best antidote to poverty remains simple - a paycheck. Policies like paid family leave, workplace flexibility and affordable quality childcare can make the difference for two-parent or single-parent working families who struggle to make ends meet.

The government's goal is to provide income support for families most affected by socio-economic hardship. The support... will be conditional on vocational training and job reintegration.

People from both political parties have long recognized that welfare without work creates negative incentives that lead to permanent poverty. It robs people of self-esteem.

Although AmeriCorps is making a difference among its participants and the people they serve, we must address homelessness and the need for job training among our veterans.

We must preserve not only the bodies of the unemployed from destitution but also their self-respect, their self-reliance, and courage and determination.

We need to help people of all circumstance overcome the things in their life.

When I was born, my family was so poor that there was no money to buy food. So the church bought groceries for us - there wasn't any kind of privilege.

Let's start off with my father being a mailman. So I understand the concerns of all the folks across this country, some of whom having trouble, you know, making ends meet.

I've been on food stamps and welfare. Anybody help me out? No. No. They gave me hope, and they gave me encouragement, and they gave me a vision. That came from my education.

We also need people like social workers, volunteers, the Christian Industrial League, drug treatment programs to make sure you are getting them a job. That's what you have to do. Otherwise, we just keep stepping around these things.

Growing up, my family struggled to make ends meet, so I know how important organizations like The Salvation Army are for families to lean on in times of need.

I don't have a dime left. I am dependent on my friends for food and a small old-age pension.

Certainly other things we can do, we gotta promote after-school employment, give kids an opportunity, raising the minimum wage was part of that, we can't expect that young people are going to feel they can make a living out there for such low wages.

We have to create jobs but also make sure that those who are looking for work aren't just left without any assistance whatsoever.

I was on food stamps until I was 18 and became an adult.

The worst thing we could do is impose time limits and then expect people to sink or swim once they move off welfare.

Healing Advices for the Poor

I worked at the Illinois unemployment office. I got $55 a week and the unemployed got $45. And they only had to come in once a week.

The working poor is a growing population in this country.

We can't offer young blacks a job at Wendy's or McDonald's as an alternative to selling crack.

We should remember the poor.

None of the lower orders need suffer for an hour, the Poor House is open.

Some welfare programs in the past have not been well-designed. They increased dependency.

There’s been an economic war going on in this country and the middle class and the poor have been losing..

Policies that promote better wages and better jobs would be super-helpful, and I'm a big fan of programs that encourage people to go where jobs are.