[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3547-3549]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 795, THE DOROTHY I. HEIGHT AND WHITNEY M. YOUNG, 
                    JR. SOCIAL WORK REINVESTMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 10, 2009

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to give my remarks on the 
reintroduction of the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. 
Social Work Reinvestment Act, which I first introduced in the 110th 
Congress. Once again, I am immensely honored and privileged to 
recognize the historic efforts and legacies of two of my personal 
heroes in supporting a profession that each of us has been proud to 
call our own. Moreover, I rise in support of the millions of Americans 
served daily by the nation's social workers. As a professional social 
worker, I am acutely aware of the significant contributions that social 
workers have made to the socio-economic fabric of our nation. Sadly, I 
am equally aware of the troubling challenges that prevent my 
professional colleagues from continuing to deliver essential social 
services and interventions to Americans most in need of such support.
  This measure could not be introduced at a more critical moment. Our 
nation is experiencing challenges of a magnitude we have not faced in 
decades. Unemployment rates are rising, banks across the country are 
failing, millions of houses are in foreclosure, and a middle-class 
lifestyle is no longer within reach for the average American. This is 
placing extreme pressure on families and creating an ever-increasing 
need for a workforce adept at tackling issues of poverty and 
inequality, particularly during moments of crisis. The workforce that 
has historically led this charge in times of turmoil is social work.
  My social work colleagues provide essential services to individuals 
across the lifespan and have long been the workforce to guide people to 
critical resources, counsel them on important life decisions, and help 
them reach their full potential. Social workers are society's safety 
net, and with our current economic challenges, the need for this safety 
net has grown to include and protect a diverse group of people from all 
walks of life.
  Yet, as I stand before you today, our nation's social workers face 
daunting challenges, challenges that compromise the ability of these 
dedicated professionals to provide their clients with unparalleled 
service and care. These challenges are preventing students from 
choosing a degree in social work and causing experienced social workers 
to leave the field. Competing policy priorities, fiscal constraints, 
safety concerns, significant educational debt, comparatively 
insufficient salaries, increased administrative burdens, and 
unsupportive work environments are just a few of the common obstacles 
encountered by our nation's social workers. Yet, our nation's social 
workers do not suffer alone. Indeed, just as America's social workers 
struggle daily to confront mounting barriers impeding the delivery of 
essential services, so must millions of Americans absorb the direct 
impact of this compromised access to necessary care. There are already 
documented social work shortages in the fields of aging and child 
welfare.
  The Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work 
Reinvestment Act is designed to address these challenges to the social 
work profession, thereby helping to ensure that millions of individuals 
and families throughout the nation can continue to receive necessary 
social work services. This legislation creates the foundation for a 
professional workforce to meet the ever-increasing demand for the 
essential services that social workers provide. Professional social 
workers have the unique expertise and experience to help solve the 
social and economic challenges that our nation is facing.
  I rise today with grave concern, yet resolute optimism. On one hand, 
I am convinced that workforce challenges, if left unaddressed, will 
result in a social work corps ill-equipped to provide comprehensive 
service to underserved communities throughout the country. Nonetheless, 
I recognize that we have a unique opportunity to outline, develop, and 
implement strategies that help the people of America. Like Dr. Dorothy 
I. Height, I believe that ``we hold in our hands the power . . . to 
shape not only our own but the nation's future,'' a future that is 
founded upon the dissolution of imaginary distinctions within our 
growing society and a renewed commitment to those struggling to keep 
pace.
  Thus, in the words of Whitney M. Young, Jr., I stand today to 
``Support the strong, give courage to the timid, remind the 
indifferent, and warn the opposed.'' In the name and spirit of Dorothy 
I. Height and the late Whitney M. Young, Jr., then, I come before you 
to propose a dramatic reinvestment in our nation's social work 
community.
  I invite my colleagues in the House and Senate to consider the far-
reaching effects of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, to say 
nothing of the persistent echoes of years of conflict in Vietnam and 
Southeast Asia. More than any other group of professionals, America's 
social workers provide our armed services and combat veterans with 
mental health interventions, housing and financial counseling, case 
management, and advocacy, among other services. Yet, across America, 
social workers with unmanageable, excessive caseloads cannot properly 
serve the millions of veterans who will return from the Iraq War 
experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, suicide, and 
drug and alcohol addiction. Indeed, despite our best wishes, America 
will continue to see war-weary soldiers whose otherwise thankful 
homecoming may be marred by post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic 
brain injury, or substance abuse.
  Much the same, social workers with intractable educational debt must 
balance the burden of repaying student loans with ever-expanding and 
complex caseloads, leaving young social workers struggling to assist 
the one in seven adults with dementia, and the hundreds of thousands of 
older Americans who rely upon their invaluable skills and service. With 
a full quarter of the American population suffering from a diagnosable 
mental illness, important caregiver, family, and health counseling, as 
well as mental health therapy will continue to suffer as professional 
social workers struggle to repay student loans and are forced into 
better paying careers.
  In addition to these and other invaluable services provided to our 
nation's veterans and senior citizens, however, the efforts of 
America's social workers have a direct and measurable impact upon 
communities throughout the nation. A brief sampling of these efforts 
includes:
  Child Welfare: The Children's Defense Fund has found that an American 
child is confirmed as abused or neglected every 36 seconds. Similarly, 
a recent estimate by U.S. Administration for Children and Families 
indicates that 510,000 children are currently living within the U.S. 
foster care system, with most children placed under the care of foster 
parents due to parental abuse or neglect. Research shows that 
professional social workers in child welfare agencies are more likely 
to find permanent homes for children who were in foster care for 2 or 
more years. Unfortunately, fewer than 40 percent of child welfare 
workers are professional social workers.
  Health: The American Cancer Society estimates that there were 
1,437,180 new cases of cancer and 565,650 cancer deaths in 2008 alone, 
while the incidence of cancer will increase dramatically as the 
population grows older. Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention report that as many as 1,285,000 Americans are living with 
HIV or AIDS. In 2006, 1.3 million people received care from one of the 
nation's hospice providers. Health care and medical social workers 
practice in all of these areas and provide outreach for prevention, 
help individuals and their families adapt to their circumstances, 
provide grief counseling, and act as a liaison between individuals and 
their medical team, helping patients make informed decisions about 
their care.
  Education: The National Center for Education Statistics states that, 
in 2005, the national dropout rate for high school students totaled 9.3 
percent. White students dropped out at a rate of 5.8 percent, while 
African American students dropped out at a rate of 10.7 percent, and 
Hispanic students dropped out at a rate of 22.1 percent. Some 
vulnerable communities have drop out rates of 50 percent or higher. 
Social workers in school settings help at-risk students through early 
identification, prevention, intervention, counseling and support.

[[Page 3548]]

  Criminal Justice: According to the United States Department of 
Justice, every year more than 650,000 ex-offenders are released from 
Federal and State prisons. Social workers employed in the corrections 
system address disproportionate minority incarceration rates, provide 
treatment for mental health problems and drug and alcohol addiction, 
and work within as well as outside the prison environment to reduce 
recidivism and increase positive community reentry.
  For these reasons, and innumerable others, America will increasingly 
demand the services of a highly skilled professional social work 
community. Unfortunately, this community is not currently equipped to 
keep pace with this increasing demand for vital services throughout the 
country. The Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work 
Reinvestment Act will provide the necessary insight and perspective to 
guide current and future investment in this indispensable profession 
and the individuals and families they serve, while providing immediate 
support for demonstration programs throughout the country.
  I am proud to introduce the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, 
Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act and must acknowledge the passionate 
advocacy of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Action 
Network for Social Work Education and Research (ANSWER), Association of 
Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors (BPD), Association of 
Oncology Social Work (AOSW), Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA), 
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), Group for the Advancement of 
Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE), Institute for the Advancement 
of Social Work Research (IASWR), National Association of Black Social 
Workers (NABSW), National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools 
of Social Work (NADD), Social Welfare Action Alliance (SWAA), and the 
Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) on behalf of this 
legislation. As drafted, this bill will create a Social Work 
Reinvestment Commission to provide a comprehensive analysis of current 
trends within the professional and academic social work communities. 
Specifically, the Commission will develop recommendations and 
strategies to maximize the ability of America's social workers to serve 
individuals, families, and communities with expertise and care. The 
recommendations will be delivered to Congress and the Executive Branch.
  This Commission will investigate in greater detail the numerous areas 
where social workers have a profound impact upon their client 
population, including aging, child welfare, military and veterans 
affairs, mental and behavioral health and disability, criminal justice 
and correctional systems, health and issues affecting women and 
children. More significantly, the Commission established within this 
legislation will provide needed guidance to protect the profession that 
has historically protected the most vulnerable in society. These 
concerns are also directly related to national discussions affecting 
entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, 
and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, to name only a 
few.
  While the Social Work Reinvestment Commission included within the 
proposed legislation will work to ensure that America's underserved 
families and individuals receive professional care and social services 
in the years to come, I urge my colleagues to recognize the urgency of 
the pervasive challenges confronting our nation's 600,000 professional 
social workers at this very moment. The Dorothy I. Height and Whitney 
M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act will also create 
demonstration programs to address relevant ``on the ground'' realities 
experienced by our nation's professional social workers. The 
competitive grant programs will prioritize activities in the areas of 
workplace improvements, research, education and training, and community 
based programs of excellence. These grants programs will provide 
Congress guidance on the establishment of best practices and the 
replication of successful programs nationally and as such, this initial 
investment will be returned many times over both in supporting ongoing 
efforts to establish efficacious social service solutions and in direct 
service to affected client communities.
  While the singular goal of this legislation is the delivery of vital 
services to our nation's underserved communities by means of a 
reenergized and emergent academic and professional social work corps, 
it is essential to undertake preliminary efforts to assess the best 
means by which to confront ongoing challenges cutting across diverse 
communities.
  Finally, in bringing this measure before my esteemed House 
colleagues, I would be remiss to neglect the heroes in whose name this 
vital reinvestment in our nation's social workers is made--Dr. Dorothy 
I. Height and Mr. Whitney M. Young, Jr. The exemplary efforts 
undertaken by model social work programs throughout the country and the 
forward-thinking initiative instilled within the Social Work 
Reinvestment Commission serve as a reflection of the common strengths 
of Dr. Height and Mr. Young, while the legislation I propose in their 
names will enable our most talented social workers to continue and 
broaden their collective efforts.
  A lifelong advocate for racial and gender equality, Dorothy I. Height 
has applied the professional training she received at the New York 
School of Social Work to challenges dauntingly large and deceptively 
small. A confidant and protege of renowned activist and educator Dr. 
Mary McLeod Bethune, Dr. Height began her long and esteemed 
relationship with the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) when then-
Council President Dr. Bethune noticed a young African-American woman 
escorting First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt into a Council meeting. From 
that moment forward, Dr. Height served as a stalwart champion for the 
rights of African American women and the families they love and 
support. Leading both as NCNW President, and a crusader within the 
American Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Height's efforts obliged the nation 
to recognize the disturbing lack of basic social services within 
America's low-income and minority communities in her time and still 
today.
  Bound by an undying commitment to women and families left unsupported 
by prevailing social services, Dr. Height's commitment to the study and 
practice of social work and faith in the power of direct care and 
intervention have remained indelible throughout her decades of service 
on behalf of both the NCNW and the YWCA. In fact, in many instances, 
such support for social work could be found at the forefront of these 
efforts, with Dr. Height serving as an advocate and professor of social 
work in developing countries throughout the world.
  Much the same, Civil Rights leader, educator, and long-time President 
of the National Urban League, Whitney Young leveraged the skills and 
values strengthened within his advanced study and practice as a social 
worker to lead the Urban League to unprecedented successes in its 
ongoing commitment to provide economic opportunity for America's most 
disadvantaged. A close advisor to three Presidents--Democrats John F. 
Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, as well as Republican Richard Nixon--Mr. 
Young brought a unique ability to work for change from within the 
often-contentious political paradigm of mid-century America. Expanding 
the size and influence of the National Urban League exponentially 
during his time as president, Mr. Young guided a once-fledgling, 
guarded organization to the vanguard of the American Civil Rights 
Movement.
  In fact, his personal efforts and bold vision contributed 
significantly to the creation of President Lyndon Johnson's War on 
Poverty and similarly historic and transformative policy initiatives.
  Yet, throughout and within each of his great accomplishments, Mr. 
Young brought with him a profound appreciation for the power of social 
services within communities historically neglected and underserved. In 
fact, in a formative moment during his tenure as Dean of Social Work at 
Atlanta University, Young stood as a vocal advocate for his alumni in 
their boycott of the Georgia Conference of Social Work. Aware of the 
great responsibilities of his colleagues and students, Mr. Young fought 
for a responsive and dedicated social work corps, the services of whom 
must be directed to those most in need. As President of both the 
National Conference on Social Welfare and the National Association of 
Social Workers, Young led efforts within the social work community to 
expand and more assiduously target services to low-income and minority 
communities neglected throughout our nation's history.
  In this emboldened spirit, the legislation that today bears the names 
of Whitney M. Young, Jr. and Dorothy I. Height will enable an already 
active American social work workforce to overcome lingering barriers to 
the delivery of essential services to underserved client populations 
throughout the country. This investment in our nation's social workers 
is both a commitment to the continued support of their critical role 
within American society, and an anticipation of the great advances 
still achievable within the field. I urge my colleagues in both 
Chambers to support this measure both in honor of Dr. Dorothy I. Height 
and the late Whitney M. Young, Jr. and in resolute defense of the 
ideals and the people to whom Dr. Height and Mr. Young have dedicated 
their lives.

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