An analysis of data from a survey of more than 100 parents residing in emergency shelter in San Diego, California, reveals a portrait of poverty that is prevalent among women and children in the United States today. Homeless families in San Diego, as in the rest of the country, are most often headed by women in their early thirties whose prospects…

This study uses National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) data to analyze differences in black and white child poverty. The NLSY documents family income and underlying conditions such as employment, educational attainment, welfare use, and marriage or divorce. This analysis examines: time in poverty, time on welfare, time in a single parent…

Information was collected on three issues related to the extent to which states use welfare dollars to provide work support and other services to welfare recipients and other low-income families. They were: extent of caseload decline since welfare reform was implemented and status of families who have left welfare; extent to which states spend…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed reports published by seven states (Indiana, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin) regarding the status of their families who have left welfare. The families discussed in the reports were estimated to account for approximately 8 percent of the number of families to…

Boston food costs exceed the combined value of government cash and food assistance benefits that households whose sole income is Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) may receive. This contradicts findings by the General Accounting Office. Food stamps and AFDC benefits indexed to the actual costs of living are needed. (Author/BJV)

Summarizes the status of public funding for child protection, contrasts expenditures for foster care versus family services, and traces the links between public assistance and child protection policies. The possibility that the 1996 federal welfare reform law may increase the need for child welfare services and drive up costs of child protection…

During the 1990s, the South reduced welfare caseloads more than other regions, most likely due to a strong metropolitan economy. However, poverty, low levels of human capital investment, and a sluggish job market persist in many rural areas of the South, and participation in welfare programs would likely increase in an economic recession. Public…

This article reports the results of an in-depth, descriptive study of long-term welfare recipients. A random sample of 284 respondents, all of whom had received public assistance for at least 36 months, were interviewed. Results illustrate personal barriers to self-sufficiency, including physical health problems that prevent work, severe domestic…

This paper presents an overall approach, statistical techniques, and a public-use database that can be used for understanding state welfare policies and measuring their relationship with key outcomes of interest, all while learning helpful statistical techniques. We use descriptive statistics and correlations to describe state policies. We find…

This article demonstrates a novel application of propensity score matching techniques: to estimate nonexperimental impacts on program participants within the context of an experimental research design. The author examines the relationship between program participation, defined as qualifying for an earnings supplement by working full-time, and…

In 1996, the United States Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, placing emphasis on individuals to take responsibility for separating themselves from governmental dependence by becoming economically self-sufficient through employment. Using a qualitative approach, this study explored the experiences…

The Subcommittee on Human Resources of the House Committee on Ways and Means asked the General Accounting Office for information on who is currently receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and whether the characteristics of this population have changed in recent years. This report presents information on changes in the…

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…

In 1995, politicians from both parties proposed legislation to reduce funding for welfare programs and mandated a new block grant system designed to eliminate entitlement to assistance. This defense manual was written to help people who believe in democratic rights fight for a generous and effective safety net for the poor. It is recognized that…

The support strategies used by young Latina mothers in the United States were studied. One focus was on the young mothers' living arrangements, and the other was how young mothers support themselves and their children through employment or public assistance. The analysis is based on data from the 1990 U.S. Census for 5,280 teen mothers and 23,151…