Director’s Cut: Hard Choices Shift Impossible Costs
By Mike Leach
Director’s Cut
Our Director’s Cut series features former agency directors from across the country and ideological spectrum saying it straight— what do they wish policymakers, advocates, and philanthropy knew when crafting policy.
Hard Choices Shift Impossible Costs
By Mike Leach
It’s not a question of if the safety net will be cut again, it’s when. The pain won’t show up first in spreadsheets or headlines. It’ll show up in people’s lives.
A single mom will walk into her local DSS office asking for help with food or child care, and someone will have to say, “I’m sorry. We don’t have that program anymore.”
A social worker will sit with a family who’s doing everything right, and still have to tell them they no longer qualify. Not because we don’t care, but because we have to do more with less, and without the tools for the job.
When programs like SNAP, TANF, child care assistance, and foster care services face cuts or restrictions, whether through budget reconciliation or state implementation choices, the frontline feels it first.
We shift those hard choices to the families who need support and the frontline staff who have to deliver the bad news.
These workers are people who chose this work because they believe in helping others. But the more the safety net frays, the more they find themselves saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t help you.”
As someone who has led these systems, It’s heartbreaking. I’ve seen the look in a caseworker’s eyes after telling a dad he’s not eligible for a program that could help him reunify with his kids.
I’ve watched child care workers cry after having to turn away a single mom who’s just starting to get back on her feet. I’ve listened to SNAP workers explain to families that a change in policy—one they didn’t create—now means they lose their food benefits.
These workers didn’t sign up for this job to say “no.” They signed up to serve. And families didn’t come to us because they wanted a handout—they came because they needed a little help to keep going.
But when funding gets slashed or new rules are added that don’t reflect real life, the system stops working for the people it’s supposed to serve.
We like to say these programs are too expensive. But do we ever talk about the cost of not having them? The cost of parents losing jobs because they can’t find child care. The cost of families going hungry. The cost of another child entering foster care because a struggling family couldn’t get the support they needed in time.
And the truth is, this isn’t just a child welfare issue. It’s the whole safety net—mental health, employment/workforce, SNAP, TANF, child care, refugee services. These programs are connected.
When one part gets cut, the pressure builds somewhere else. We see it in schools, in hospitals, in law enforcement. And we especially see it in the lives of the people who are trying their best in a system that’s not trying its best for them.
As someone who’s led a state system, I’ve made hard choices. I know budgets are tight. But we need to stop making families and frontline staff pay the price. Every time we cut these programs, we’re telling a family in crisis, “You’re on your own.” And we’re telling a worker who wants to help, “Do your job without the tools you need.”
We can do better. We have to. That means investing in programs that work. Writing rules that reflect real people’s lives. Above all, it means stopping the practice of shifting the true costs onto the frontline workforce we already ask to do far too much with far too little.
Let’s build a net that actually catches people. Let’s make sure the next time someone walks through our doors and says, “Can you help me?” the answer is, “Yes. We’ve got you.”
About Director’s Cut
Each edition of Director’s Cut will bring former child welfare agency directors from across the country and ideological spectrum.
This is not an exit interview; it’s a chance for those who spent time “in the chair” to offer sharp and strategic insights for those who work on child and family policy.
If you’re a former director who would like to contribute, we’d love to hear from you.
About Michael Leach
Michael Leach is a values-driven leader known for his authentic approach and focus on improving child welfare and social service systems.
He served as Deputy Commissioner in TN and State Director of South Carolina DSS, and now works with states and nonprofits through Leach Consulting Group.