Why don’t you ask them and find out. And then you should equally condemn everyone on FR who receives a government check of any sort whatsoever, just to be fair.
No LJ, not all government checks are created equal. I'm against anyone receiving a government check if they didn't work for it. There are many FReepers who are retired military, retired civil service, etc, and they earned every penny.
Btw, I read the Q and A session with this family, and public assistance did come up, but was artfully dodged each time. That tells me everything I needed to know. Sorry, but this family is on the dole.