Collection:LPB

Genre: Newsmagazine

Place Covered: Louisiana

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 1983-05-22

Duration: 00:26:05

Subjects: Poverty | Elderly | Social Services

Contributors:

• Hinton, Rob Host
• Stewart, Genevieve Host
• Cook, Irma Interviewee
• LaFleur, Sharon Interviewee
• Hawkins, Willie Interviewee
• Smart, Annie Interviewee
• Banks, Rod Interviewee

This episode of the series “Folks” from May 22, 1983, focuses on the impact of government cutbacks to social services on the poor, needy, and elderly. Rob Hinton first visits the Fairfields Senior Center in East Baton Rouge Parish and reports on the cuts to services at the center, including the possible cut to health screenings. He interviews Irma Cook, a senior citizen on a fixed income, and Sharon LaFleur, the director of the East Baton Rouge Parish Council on Aging. Genevieve Stewart then reports on the cuts to the community centers that serve the needy and low income families. She interviews Willie Hawkins, the director of the Eden Park Community Center in Baton Rouge. Hinton and Stewart then conduct an in-studio interview with Annie Smart, a welfare rights advocate, and Rod Banks, the Assistant Secretary for Family Security with the Louisiana Department of Health and Human Resources. They discuss: whether poor people are worse off than they were in 1981; the changes in eligibility requirements for social programs; how people are coping with the loss of benefits; whether the private sector is filling the void; and the proposed cuts to several programs, including Medicaid.