West Virginia typically uses clothing vouchers to help children in low-income families afford back-to-school essentials like pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, shoes, coats, underwear and other basic clothing.
Each year, more than 80,000 children across the state are able to use the School Clothing Allowance. Eligible families can usually shop with the vouchers starting July 1.
This year, though, there’s a delay.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s administration did not seem to announce a delay specific to clothing vouchers and has not characterized how long it might last or if it could be lifted. Organizations have said the state Department of Human Services not yet released details on the program or announced a program start date this year.
However, the governor said in May that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families faces a $40 million spending gap in West Virginia. The clothing voucher program is funded through TANF.
A coalition called The Legislative Action Team for Children and Families is calling on Morrisey to immediately release funds and begin accepting applications for the School Clothing Allowance program.
The coalition is calling on the governor to:
- Immediately release the appropriated funding for the School Clothing Allowance Program;
- Direct the Department of Human Services to expedite implementation so eligible families can apply for and receive benefits before the start of the school year; and
- Reaffirm the state’s commitment to supporting children and families through the timely deployment of programs and services the state legislature intended to fund in their enacted FY 2027 budget.
“Families need help, not hurdles. The Administration’s delay in launching the School Clothing Allowance program is creating needless uncertainty for families across West Virginia,” said Jim McKay, director of Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia and chairman of the Legislative Action Team.
The Legislative Action Team’s statement included testimonies from parents whose families benefit from the voucher.
“My son is starting school this year and does not have clothes to start in. We were counting on the school clothing voucher to help with that cost, and now we’re not even sure if or when that voucher is coming,” said Jessica Huggins, a stay-at-home mother of two in Wheeling.
And, “As a single mother of teenagers who wear adult-sized clothing, the voucher provides valuable assistance. The delay has made it harder to budget and to make sure my kids are prepared before school starts,” said Amanda Armstrong, a working mother from Wheeling.
Mark Phillips, the president and chief executive of Catholic Charities West Virginia, said the delay in funding for basic needs for children is worrisome. Catholic Charities is working with communities to provide support, but nonprofits cannot fully compensate for the loss of state assistance.
“This is not something that’s a luxury, and these families right now are trying to decide ‘how do we just get our kids the basic things that they need to walk into school with dignity and at the same time figure out how we’re paying for groceries and utility bills,'” he said on MetroNews Midday.
“So working with these families who are making these difficult choices all across West Virginia in all of our communities, it can be really heartbreaking.”
Phillips expressed surprise and frustration that the delay is happening now.
“What I do know is that families should not be caught in the middle of an accounting disagreement between the agency and the legislature. This money was appropriated, and kids need clothes to go back to school in six weeks,” he said.
Delegate Evan Worrell, chairman of the House Committee on Health and Human Resources, said he is puzzled by the delay on clothing vouchers. Worrell, who is also a member of the Finance Committee, noted that lawmakers already approved $177 million in TANF funding for the Department of Human Services to spend this fiscal year.
And the clothing voucher delay occurred the same day the Morrisey administration announced a $370 million revenue surplus at the conclusion of the fiscal year.
“I don’t know why those closing vouchers were delayed,” Worrell said. “The legislature funded the TANF fund to what the governor requested for FY 27 and so I’m confused as to why there would be any delays or anything not going as normal as July 1 hit around.”
Worrell, R-Cabell, said needy families rely on the vouchers, especially as the next school year approaches.
“These are families who literally need this clothing voucher, and additionally, the state has consistently provided this clothing voucher and has also told the feds that they are — that this is what they spend part of their TANF funding on.”