| Description |
I sought to answer the question of how individuals in poverty navigate the public policies associated with government assistance programs. The programs focused on were the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, Social Security Disability Income, and Supplemental Security Income. I examine the root causes of the issue of access, which I defined as stigma and bureaucracy. Literature has examined bureaucrats, online bureaucracies, language, red tape, agency appeal processes, and dehumanization of clients. I interviewed five individuals in Salt Lake City, Utah about their personal experiences with the programs. I found that bureaucrats are becoming more difficult to access and are being replaced by an online bureaucracy. Participants experienced barriers to access in the form of the language that the bureaucracies used, engaged in filling out excessive paperwork, experienced lengthy appeals to the Social Security Administration, and were ultimately dehumanized by the process. This was a preliminary study, with suggestions for research to follow. |
