200 families on brink of homelessness being treated like 'rats in a lab experiment'

So while searching for information, topics, etc for my next project, I came across a link to an article at NYDailyNews.com about an attempt to test how well a one-stop assistance program, called Homebase, is working. In order to do this, the Department of Homeless Services split 400 struggling families into two groups -- one half get rental assistance, job training, and other services through Homebase. The other half or the "control group" are shut out of Homebase for two years. Rather than helping them, the families were given a list of other agencies and were told to go hunt for help elsewhere. For two years, researchers of this project will track the two seperate groups using their Social Security numbers to see how each group "uses city services... such as shelter, public assistance, foster care," etc. Starting in August, letters were distributed to 400 families at random who were applying to join Homebase, informing them that they would be part of the study. They want to see if the "control group" will find aid through other agencies or if they will end up in shelters. The article also touched on the unhappy reaction of a pregnant single mother who lives in a one bedroom apartment with her 8 and 1 year old daughters who was dubbed a "have-not."

I think this is outrageous. A lot of people commented on the article, saying they think it is good, and that women who get pregnant who already have children they can't support shouldn't receive aid because it is their fault for getting pregnant again -- that people like this are draining resources that come from our tax dollars. Although, yes, I do somewhat agree with that statement, that our actions come with consequences and responsibilities that we must handle, I think to randomly select and divide families into "haves" and "have-nots" seems a little harsh, unfair, not right? But then again nothing is free, nothing is really, truly fair, and I suppose something like this has to be done in order to see how struggling and homeless families use their resources and what is available to them to better their own individual situations, rather than acting helpless just because they are struggling. I think too often in this society people who are needy are handed so much, so easily, for simply not having anything. Why not TRY to make something with what they have? Instead of acting helpless, DO something about it. For example, a single women with a low paying job who receives ridiculous amounts of aid and help simply because she made the decision to have a child that she can not support. But, say, a young adult just getting out of college with no job is prooobably not going to receive that kind of aid. Why? My opinion on this article goes back and forth. Definitely an interesting thing to think about.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/30/2010-09-30_city_cruel_test_for_poor_families.html