“It is almost like the local office gets rewarded for every family they can sign-up and punished for every household which gets off. “
Yup, is’t harder to get off of assistance than to get on. They don’t like anyone leaving the plantation.
BUT...then in other cases, if you get a job, even a small, part-time income, they will drop ALL ASSISTANCE, IMMEDIATELY, which forces you to try to make ends meet while you wait for your first paycheck, and even though this little income will not pay ALL of your bills, you have to go through the process of reapplying (taking time/days off of your new job) to beg for the difference that you will get, even AFTER the part-time pay kicks in!
They make it VERY DIFFICULT to get off or even WANT to get off of assistance! I know, I watched my sister-in-law go through the very crap I listed above. Ever nickle pay raise, they would turn off her assistance and she would have to start all over on getting those back.
Thank God and perseverance she finally got completely away from that crap!