The 1996 welfare reform law restricted immigrants' eligibility for public assistance, although many states have at least partially restored their eligibility. However, about three-fourths of the children of non-citizen immigrants were born in the United States and are therefore eligible for all government benefits. This brief examines whether…

The dramatic decline in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseloads in the 1990s has focused attention on the process of exit from, and, to a lesser extent, entry into, the welfare system. This paper charts the process of turnover in the TANF program in three major U.S. cities over an 18-month, post-PWORA period and documents its…

This study examined characteristics of families who remained on welfare, comparing the economic, social, and demographic characteristics of women remaining on welfare to welfare leavers and low-income women who had never been on welfare; how the characteristics and income of employed women on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) compared…

This study examined young mothers' experiences with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), noting whether changes in the TANF application process for teens were needed and whether the Illinois Department of Human Services was effectively engaging teens in the TANF system. Working with community-based organizations around Chicago,…