> The safety net in the US is actually quite strong for citizens
And permanent residents. This used to not be the case but changed in the late 90s for reasons I won't derail the thread on.
> SNAP benefits (free food) and Medicaid expansion for low-income people are quite generous
I'm not sure our definitions of "quite generous" are the same. In Washington State, if you are a family of three who makes under $2,300 per month and pays rent and utilities, you qualify for $383/month in food benefit. In western Washington, this is not enough to pay for an entire month of food for three people. It's about a third, or half if you try really hard. (If you have a small child you can qualify for another program, called WIC, but what you get through it is more regulated.)
> If you can get a Section 8 (free housing) voucher you can essentially live without working
The phrase "if you can get" is doing a great deal of work here. The public housing voucher--of all types, not just section 8--waiting list for every populated county in Washington State is closed right now due to far more applicants than availability. In most of the country the waitlist is years long, if not decades. There is that notable story of a person who is now an Alderwoman for the City of Chicago[0] who was on the waiting list for 29 years and finally reached the point where she could apply for (but not yet receive) housing benefits.
The social safety net in the US is neither as strong nor as ubiquitous as you might suspect.
And permanent residents. This used to not be the case but changed in the late 90s for reasons I won't derail the thread on.
> SNAP benefits (free food) and Medicaid expansion for low-income people are quite generous
I'm not sure our definitions of "quite generous" are the same. In Washington State, if you are a family of three who makes under $2,300 per month and pays rent and utilities, you qualify for $383/month in food benefit. In western Washington, this is not enough to pay for an entire month of food for three people. It's about a third, or half if you try really hard. (If you have a small child you can qualify for another program, called WIC, but what you get through it is more regulated.)
> If you can get a Section 8 (free housing) voucher you can essentially live without working
The phrase "if you can get" is doing a great deal of work here. The public housing voucher--of all types, not just section 8--waiting list for every populated county in Washington State is closed right now due to far more applicants than availability. In most of the country the waitlist is years long, if not decades. There is that notable story of a person who is now an Alderwoman for the City of Chicago[0] who was on the waiting list for 29 years and finally reached the point where she could apply for (but not yet receive) housing benefits.
The social safety net in the US is neither as strong nor as ubiquitous as you might suspect.
0 - https://www.npr.org/2022/06/23/1104338319/chicago-public-hou...