Joe Shapiro (@nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social)

You will hear people say social safety net programs are bloated with those who don't belong, there's fraud. My stories on SSI tell different story--of people in great need who try to follow the rules. But the rules don't work. A podcast version from NPR's The Sunday Story www.npr.org/2024/12/08/1...

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Trapped in a Social Safety Net : Up First from NPR In 1972, the federal government launched a program to support the poorest disabled and elderly Americans. Supplemental Security Income, run by the Social Security Administration, provides monthly checks that are a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable people in this country.SSI was intended to serve as a powerful safety net and a tool for fighting poverty. But a recent NPR Investigation led by correspondent Joseph Shapiro has discovered a very different reality today.In today's episode of The Sunday Story, Shapiro explains how SSI's outdated rules have made the system difficult to run and almost impossible for its beneficiaries to navigate. Impoverished disabled and elderly people say they have been penalized for trying to improve their lives—for saving money, getting married, and even daring to have careers. https://www.npr.org/2024/12/08/1218160297/trapped-in-a-social-safety-net