Research on the results of welfare-to-work programs is both encouraging and sobering. On the one hand, it provides evidence that states can effectively implement various work-oriented programs to encourage large percentages of the welfare caseload to prepare for and enter the labor market. These programs range from rather low-intensity programs…

This report contains economic and demographic facts related to immigration, but it does not advocate any position or ideology nor make any judgments about whether immigrants should receive government services. When possible, data are presented as graphs. A review of the facts makes it apparent that the rate of U.S. immigration in the 1990s is…

This report synthesizes some of the most significant research findings on job training programs. It relates them to the decisions faced by states as they implement the Jobs Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Training Programs mandated by the Federal Family Support Act of 1988, which must be structured to meet the needs of recipients of Aid to…

A significant number of current and former Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients have various barriers to finding and maintaining employment. Among the most common barriers are physical and mental health problems, domestic violence, low skill levels, lack of adequate or affordable housing, and limited proficiency in English.…

Reviews six federally funded in-kind public assistance programs designed to mitigate effects of poverty on children: (1) food stamps; (2) the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children; (3) school nutrition programs; (4) Medicaid; (5) Head Start; and (6) housing assistance. Evidence indicates these programs achieve their…

The following two opposing models of the underclass are critically evaluated: (1) the culturally deficient model, which focuses on culture, family, or welfare; and (2) the opportunity structures in decline model, which focuses on employment, marriage, and community pattern changes. (JS)

The Parents' Fair Share Demonstration (PFS) was created to boost the incomes of poor noncustodial parents (most of them fathers) so as to increase child support payments and decrease the number of welfare recipients. This report gives the results of a nine-site pilot program, which operated from early 1992 through 1993. The program addressed two…

Critics who advocate encouraging pregnant teenagers to marry are mistaken. Teen marriages are distinctly less stable than marriages that occur after age twenty. Later marriers are less likely to be on welfare and are likely to have more education and fewer children. A hasty marriage makes a bad situation worse. (BJV)

This conference presentation explores current patterns of public transfer receipt (such as earned income tax credit, public health insurance coverage, food stamps, and public assistance) among single-father families and provides an update on existing census-based research on characteristics of single-father families. Data were obtained from the…

Problems of today's displaced homemakers overlap with those of women in the 1960s. Problems of women seeking employment are similar to those of minority groups, older workers and welfare recipients. Recent legislation has expanded to fulfill some of the needs of women returning to the labor force. (Author/BEF)

Describes the program, administrative implications, and lessons learned from the Advanced Technology Program, a welfare-to-work program developed by Oakland Community College in Michigan. Stresses that welfare recipients need full-time work in high-paying jobs, skills training and continuing education, and training that meets the labor demand…

This paper uses data from the 1970, 1980, and 1990 Censuses to investigate the impact of welfare benefits across Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) on the incidence of single motherhood and headship for young women. A contribution of the paper is the inclusion of both MSA fixed effects and MSA-specific time trends to account for fixed and…

Presents the results of a national study examining effectiveness of employment- and education-focused welfare-to-work programs. Considers the implications for community colleges, particularly training for quick employment versus stable jobs that pay a living wage. Concludes that, compared with other institutions, community colleges have the most…

Reports that since the passage of the Welfare Reform Act in 1996, community colleges have invested time and money to create programs that ensure the successful transition of welfare recipients to self-sufficient workers. Cites recent resources on the efforts of educators to improve the status of welfare recipients, particularly in the two-year…

Asserting that the welfare reform proposals of the mid-1990s drew attention to the problem of domestic violence among individuals receiving public assistance who are among the poorest of the poor, this report examines what is known from past research on domestic violence that may inform policies related to marriage and child well-being. In…