Wisconsin's new welfare program was a dramatic departure from the old income maintenance system of welfare and moved beyond other states' work-based welfare reform programs. This report describes Wisconsin's approach to welfare reform, using data collected in 1999 and 2000 from state and local administrators, direct service providers, and, in some…

Colorado's welfare reform legislation significantly departs from the state's traditional emphasis on education and training while further embracing a decentralized administrative structure. The state's welfare system has shifted from an education and training model to a work-first model. This report presents findings from data collected in 1999…

This brief presents 10 key findings about welfare reform, using research from the Urban Institute's Assessing the New Federalism project. Welfare reform has taken hold, and, in the immediate aftermath of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), states have made major changes to their welfare systems that…

This report charts the experiences of women who have done better or worse than average after leaving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, highlighting differences in: education, health, and other characteristics; whether or not they were sanctioned before leaving; and welfare dependency (amount of time spent on welfare before leaving and off…

This report charts the experiences of women who have done better or worse than average after leaving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, highlighting: differences in education, health, and other characteristics; differences in whether or not they were sanctioned before leaving; and differences in welfare dependency (amount of time spent on…

Research findings are providing increasingly valuable information about the effects of welfare changes on families receiving public assistance. This working paper outlines past and current research activities related to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), describes research reports scheduled for…

Explores the impact of the new welfare reform bill on female heads of households, arguing that the push for welfare recipients to end welfare dependency and enter the job market ill-prepared presents challenges in the home and the workplace. Suggests that adult educators' role in preparing low-skilled mothers for the workplace is central in…

Describes a child welfare program that used outcome information to support a learning organization to achieve better outcomes for children and their families. Considers factors that facilitate the use of outcome data and which should be included in an outcome orientation to management practice. (JPB)

Personal narrative embeds the expertise of subordinated groups in stories that seldom translate into public debate. The authors describe a community writing project in which welfare recipients used personal narratives to enter into the public record their tacit and frequently discounted knowledge. The research illustrates the difficulties and…

The number of poor females has increased because of : (1) gender differences in wages; (2) the inadequacy of public benefits; (3) lack of legislative commitment; and (4) demographic factors such as divorce. These variables emerge as strong predictors of female poverty rates in seven industrialized nations. Only a comprehensive social movement will…

Until the 1996 welfare law (which conditioned eligibility on citizenship status) was passed, legal immigrants were generally as eligible for public benefits as citizens. The immigrant restrictions have proven to be extremely controversial. In 1997, Congress restored Supplemental Security Income to most immigrants who were already in the country…

This working paper is the fourth in a series examining what has been learned since the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. Following an introduction describing the legislations initial impact, the paper details reauthorization-related activities during 2001 and 2002, and describes…

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, and the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) funds that states are required to spend in order to draw down their full TANF allocations, are potential funding sources for youth corps. Youth corps address the goals of the new welfare law and are eligible to receive TANF funds. TANF and MOE funds…

This paper presents data from a survey of all 50 states that examined specific programs and policies being pursued at the state level to discourage teenage and nonmarital childbearing. Overall, the teen childbearing rate has continued to fall, and in 1999 it was the lowest on record. Some research points to a relationship between welfare policies…

Marin City is an isolated African American community located in mostly affluent Marin County, California. Thirty-six percent of households in Marin City fall below the poverty line. This report provides three case studies from the Marin City Families First (MCFF) program, an intervention that aims to develop a model comprehensive child and family…