UJC/CUP

Some people see welfare as the root of all social ills: a crutch, a trap, a ripoff, a modern version of bread and circuses. Others see it for what it is: a program that provides critical assistance to very poor people. Imperfect like all programs and occasionally abused like all things, welfare is an important part of the lives of some 360,000 New Yorkers now receiving it.

It’s also a complicated system, and that’s why the Safety Net Project of the Urban Justice Center, working with the Center for Urban Pedagogy, released on Thursday “Your Guide to Welfare,” which walks the reader through the system: who it’s for, what it does and how to access it.

The guide is one of dozens of tools and resources listed in our Citizens’ Toolkit. If you know of an electronic document or digital tool that helps New Yorkers access their city and engage as citizens, let us know so we can add it to the kit.