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“I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Those are the nine most terrifying words in the English language, according to President Ronald Reagan. As a conservative governor, I try to heed that warning when crafting state assistance programs.
But as a pastor’s daughter, I also grew up learning Jesus’ parables. One that I’ve always loved is the parable of the good Samaritan, in which a man is left for dead on the side of the road and receives help — not from a likely helper, but from someone who would be considered an adversary. It shows us that goodwill can come from surprising places and that we have an obligation to help the neediest among us — regardless of who they are.
With that message as our guiding light, my administration is launching the 10:33 Initiative, named for Luke 10:33, a passage in the parable of the good Samaritan. We’re leveraging our faith, business and nonprofit allies to get Arkansans off government dependency and not trapped in a lifetime of poverty.
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The momentum behind this initiative started with a problem I’ve seen throughout government: the billions of dollars we spend on welfare each year are temporary Band-Aids, and they don’t successfully move Arkansans from crisis to career. When someone shows up at our door because they’re hungry and need food stamps, or because they lost their job and need unemployment insurance, chances are those aren’t the only services they need. They need stability, an education, a job — and a pathway to a more permanent high quality of life.
The 10:33 Initiative is a pilot program based on a bold new idea. Rather than just giving needy Arkansans a handout, we’re giving them a hand up. When they reach out to state government for assistance, the several hundred Arkansans who will be enrolled in this pilot will be connected with a community advocate from a local nonprofit or church.
That advocate will help address the other issues these Arkansans face, whether it’s housing, healthcare or employment. Beneficiaries will be steered toward LAUNCH, a site my administration created to connect job seekers with education, training and job opportunities. And eventually, our goal is that these Arkansans stop being dependent on the government and can stand on their own two feet without any extra assistance at all.
I believe that this can work because it’s been proven time and again by Arkansas’ faith community and nonprofits. Restore Hope is one of the groups with which we are partnering and already offers wraparound support to vulnerable Arkansans in more than a dozen counties.
In one instance, a Restore Hope organization was contacted by a father of two whose wife was battling terminal cancer and who was dealing with his own substance abuse issues at the same time. Leaning on the nonprofit, he was able to find long-term care for his family while he received substance abuse treatment. Though his wife tragically passed away, his two kids are now honor roll students and he is 43 months sober.
On another occasion, a single mom reached out to Restore Hope because she needed a mattress for her 4-year-old daughter. That simple request brought her in contact with a local church, so that when her car broke down several months later and she was desperate for help, she had someone to call. That very same day, a kind church member gave her a new car.
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Jesus tells us, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,” and driven by those words, our faith community’s generosity is enormous. Until now, though, they didn’t work in sync with the government agencies spending billions each year on Arkansans in need. The 10:33 Initiative changes that completely.
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This pilot program starts small, in just three Arkansas counties and covering just a few hundred families. But once we show the success of leaning on the faith community, coordinating care and moving Arkansans off the path of dependency and onto the path to prosperity, we aim to expand it statewide — and create a blueprint for America.
Conservatives know our welfare system is broken. Christians know we have an obligation to those in need. The 10:33 Initiative unites common sense and compassion to deliver wraparound assistance that can actually transform lives.
