Anyone receiving any public assistance needs to contribute back into the public arena. Part of receiving benefits can include a skills assessment, then based on those skills they should be required to do volunteer hours to “earn” their assistance, no freeloading. Some people are capable of working but choose but to.
The biggest place I see this is with childcare. Many families cant afford daycare, so they dont work at all and get all their assistance from the government. Have government run daycares, can be attached to existing schools so they are in the neighborhoods where people live. People with children getting assistance should be required to do volunteer hours at the daycare watching the children of other recipients. This will allow then to 1.) Look for work or work jobs that provide income, but not enough to pay all expenses including daycare. 2) allow them to go to school for job training so they can get a decent paying job. 3) reduce the money that is going out to recipients as childcare assistance as the workers watching the children are “volunteering”.
For those receiving assistance that dont have children, obviously they can work in other ways. How about all those closed DMV windows? Or any other government office where you wait forever for services? How about picking up neighborhood trash? Painting over graffiti?
If you were required to work volunteer hours, instead of sitting at home collecting “free money” they might be inclined to go out and get a real job instead of taking advantage.