A study was conducted to determine what was happening in literacy programs as a result of the major welfare reform law passed in 1996, and whether basic skills instruction was part of the solution. A nationwide search for exemplary programs that are using basic skills instruction as a fundamental component of assisting welfare recipients in moving…

The 2-year evaluation of the Displaced Homemaker Program in Washington focused on the primary purpose of the program--to assist displaced homemakers in attaining independence and economic security. Approximately 2,042 eligible displaced homemakers completed the intensive instructional services component; the program served a total of 34,659…

This report presents the findings of a preliminary assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) programs, the welfare-to-work centerpiece of the Family Support Act, for moving Puerto Rican welfare recipients closer to self-sufficiency. Programs in Newark (New Jersey), New York City, and Philadelphia…

This final report describes and evaluates the Favorable Alternate Sites Project (FASP), developed in response to the oversettlement of refugees (particularly Southeast Asian refugees) in particular areas of the country. The project's goals were to reduce welfare dependency, increase the ability of FASP refugees to be self-supporting, and reduce…

This report, framed by the region's foremost experts on poverty, is the first comprehensive and scientifically rigorous analysis of the implications of welfare reform for the people and communities of Los Angeles (California). Direct and indirect impacts are considered. It is concluded that the number of welfare recipients in Los Angeles likely to…

A study obtained information on examples of county or local Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) or JOBS-like programs that emphasize job placement, subsidized employment, or work experience positions for welfare recipients. It also identified the extent to which county JOBS programs nationwide used these employment-focused activities and…

To inform policymakers as they deliberate over the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reauthorization, this guide reviews what states have done with the flexibility afforded them by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The first section examines how states have shaped their welfare reform strategies…

This report focuses on implementation, impacts, and time limit in Florida's Family Transition Program (FTP), a welfare reform initiative. Chapter 1 describes FTP and evaluation, target population, and data. Chapter 2 describes implementation of FTP in Escambia County: staffing and organizational structure of FTP and traditional Aid to Families…

This paper provides an early analysis of child care subsidies under welfare reform. The paper reviews the literature on child care subsidies and discusses the potential for such subsidies to be an effective part of the effort to make low-income families economically self-sufficient. The paper then uses data from the National Survey of America's…

Presents interim findings from an impact analysis of Ohio's Learning, Earning, and Parenting (LEAP) Program. LEAP is a statewide program designed to encourage school attendance among pregnant and parenting teens on welfare. Suggests that LEAP has succeeded in its primary short-term goal of increasing the school enrollment and attendance of teen…

The achievement of a group of undergraduate students enrolled in a pilot program for welfare recipients in the form of TANF (Temporary Aid to Needy Families) was compared with the achievement of general population students at an urban community college. Grades attained in a basic level, introductory Psychology course were used to measure academic…

Today, a college education is increasingly viewed as the gateway to the American Dream--a necessary prerequisite for social mobility. Yet recent policy reforms in the United States effectively steer former welfare recipients away from an education that could further their career prospects, forcing them directly into the workforce where they often…

Most discussions of welfare reform ignore two factors: its effect on children; and the fact that a welfare reform law, the Family Support Act of 1988 (FSA), already exists. FSA created state Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) welfare-to-work programs, and if the JOBS program is adequately funded, it can improve the lives of welfare…

"Confronting the New Politics of Child and Family Policy in the United States" is an 18-month project designed to help states, local governments, and the voluntary sector as they respond to the social policy debates and changes precipitated by the 104th Congress. The project's main vehicle will be a series of reports, based on a series…

This report provides objective information about the relationship of poverty, welfare, and homelessness to California's regional economy and about the design of programs that help people in poverty build working lives. California does not have enough jobs for its workforce, and welfare caseloads are consequently determined by the economy. The…