Porter: ‘FSSA’s heartbreaking waitlists are the result of fiscal cliffs’

Today, the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) announced a waitlist for the Indiana Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) voucher program, effective immediately. This waitlist will only affect new applicants since the FSSA has promised to prioritize funding for families already enrolled in the program. 

State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement: 

“I’m dismayed yet another waitlist is being implemented for vital services, but I can’t say I’m surprised. The CCDF voucher program supports Hoosiers needing affordable, quality child care. We have parents who want to participate in the workforce, but they can only do so if their children are provided for during their shifts. The bottom line is families in need will be waitlisted for assistance until the next federal fiscal year. Indiana claims to be a 'State that Works,' but there’s little care for Hoosiers’ life-work balance.  

“We have 73,000 families currently in this program, and the high cost of care means it's in high demand. The FSSA plans to freeze this program’s expansion until it returns to a 'normal' base level of 50,000 families. Shooting for only 50,000 families is insanely low since federal law permits enrollment of 212,000 families. Even Indiana’s existing eligibility threshold would allow for the enrollment of 125,000 families. 

”These announcements have been par for the course lately. Medicaid is running out of federal funding, and the majority has refused to provide any supplemental state funding. Since 2020 as part of the COVID-19 response, we received $1.2 billion in one-time federal funding, some of which was used for CCDF vouchers. This is what we call a 'fiscal cliff.' We have a funding imbalance between demand and budget. The FSSA apparently awarded these slots with supplemental, one-time funding knowing it wouldn’t last.

“Hopefully, as we start a new budget cycle, we can address these fiscal cliffs that are harming Hoosier families seeking vital assistance. It’s important that the state properly funds programs that support employment and economic competition.”