This document contains presentation summaries from a conference on "Responding to Welfare Reform." The first presentation, from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), deals with the impact of welfare reform on two-year colleges. It discusses the national impact of TANF, the results from a July 1997 AACC survey concerning…

Basic skills education has become a pressing need in the construction industry as jobs become more complex and fewer workers have needed skills. However, the construction industry lags in spending on training for entry-level workers. The Home Builders Institute (HBI) is testing a pilot basic skills program that it hopes will prove useful to the…

The Single Parent Project (SPP) at Eastern Washington University assists single parents on public assistance who are working toward an academic degree in order to become independent from the welfare system. The SPP provides campus-based services that help students succeed in an academic setting. Four areas of focus for the SPP are: (1) direct…

The question of how women are faring under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) has received little attention. Of particular concern is whether, and how successfully, JTPA is reaching and serving those sub-groups of women in poverty, such as displaced homemakers and AFDC (welfare) mothers, who face particularly difficult barriers to employment…

"Welfare hotels" are commercially-owned, single- or multi-story hotels or motels providing shelter to a clientele composed exclusively or primarily of homeless families receiving public assistance. They often provide inadequate physical conditions and services. Information in the following areas is given about welfare hotels: (1)…

This paper discusses the "Better Jobs and Income Act," President Carter's proposed welfare reform bill. Brief attention is given to speculation on "first order effects" of the bill. Effects considered concern the equity and the adequacy of the bill. Major attention is directed toward "second order effects,"…

This brief updates "Income Support and Social Services for Low-Income People in New York," an overview of benefits and services in the state in 1997. Information comes from reviews of state and local program documents and interviews with selected officials responsible for policy and program operations in Erie County (Buffalo) and New…

This publication consists of materials from a conference session on creative programming for the children of low-skilled individuals who are usually labeled as "at risk," as well as the replicability of such programs. Contents consist of handouts and/or transparency masters that provide the following: (1) information on the Personal…

Several states are helping families leave or avoid welfare by developing innovative responses to critical "employment enablers": transportation, health care coverage, and child care. This report: (1) examines why lack of transportation, health insurance, and child care are barriers to work; (2) identifies how funding sources can be…

The past several years have seen basic changes in policies and programs concerning poverty, work, and workforce development. The essence of the changes is putting work first, and many states and localities are building "Work First" into welfare-to-work programs funded under Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and many are adopting…

Describes current approaches to child care subsidies and identifies several issues and opportunities facing those who want to integrate a stronger child development focus into the subsidy system. Concludes with a discussion of important questions for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to help the subsidy system achieve a better balance…

Describes a qualitative study examining the educational experiences of eight women mandated into college by the Job Opportunity and Basic Skills Program, a welfare-to-work initiative. Indicates that social service representatives fostered feelings of oppression in the women, whereas college personnel provided encouragement and positive guidance.…

Summarizes the legislation upon which the current welfare-to-work transition is based and describes characteristics of the former welfare population. Discusses current program emphases and presents directions for future program development including academic programs, situated cognition programs, integrated literacy/occupational skills programs,…

This report profiles three workforce organizations across the country--in Colorado, Georgia and New York--and explores the strategies they used to grow their programs locally. The report examines the dilemmas workforce organizations frequently face in meeting not only the needs of their dual customers--job seekers and employers--but also the needs…

A project operated a model, adaptable family literacy program in a housing authority that served 35 residents. Its objectives were to improve parents' basic skills and help them improve their ability to assist their children, to assist parents in learning appropriate expectations for their children and understanding individual differences, and to…