Awfully hard to ensure that donations collected that way go where they're supposed to, or that they are sufficient. But forced taking isn't good either. Ideally, any federal program to cover things like this should be funded through voluntary donations, maybe via a line on the tax return forms. If word of mismanagement got out, donations would plummet, so there would be incentive to keep it clean and efficient, despite the fact that it would be run by government.
I don't think a federal program is the answer.
That sounds like a good idea.