To examine the experiences of black children and poverty, researchers conducted a computer analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, the source of official government poverty statistics. The data are through 2001. Results indicated that nearly 1 million black children were living in extreme poverty, with after-tax…

This report examines the impact of the 1996 Personal Responsibility Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) on the college enrollment of welfare recipients who completed high school. The report highlights the lower college enrollment rates among recipients in the post-Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) period and notes the impact…

Many issues remain unresolved when considering whether the welfare system perpetuates the poverty of its recipients. The debate often focuses on Blacks. No one considers factors such as the self-defined needs of the target population. Cuts in payment programs may be of some value but are not a panacea. (VM)

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…

This paper addresses the important but relatively understudied problem of immigrants' use of transfer payments. First it documents differentials in the propensity of natives and immigrants to receive public assistance income using 1980 census data. Descriptive tabulations revealed considerable differences between Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and…

In 1996, rural children had higher poverty and just-over poverty rates than urban children. Compared to rural white children, rural minority children had less-educated parents and were more likely to live in poverty, in families with a single parent or without an earner, and in families dependent on social-welfare programs. (Author/SV)

The number of poor elderly Blacks and the cost of health care are increasing. Even with Medicare there are out of pocket expenses for those who are least able to pay. Since racial bias may be a factor in triage, the best approach to reducing medical costs is prevention. (VM)

Analyzes the utilization of public assistance in the United States by immigrants and natives. Findings include the following: (1) despite higher poverty rates, immigrants had only minimally higher recipiency rates than natives; (2) immigrants were generally less likely than natives to receive assistance. (FMW)

Poverty rates increased in the early 1990s, but between 1994 and 1999 the metro child poverty rate declined 6 percentage points and the nonmetro rate declined 4 percent. In 1999, the poverty rate for nonmetro Black children was about double that of nonmetro White children, but the Black-White gap in poverty narrowed between 1985 and 1999. (TD)

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…

One aspect of the general rise in the number of single parent households is the high proportion of them that are headed by black women. Black families headed by women tend to be larger and are more likely to be impoverished. Contrary to popular belief, many black single mothers considered poor are employed women, not recipients of welfare. An…

A statistical profile of the working poor in Chicago (Illinois) and the proceedings of the Working Poor Policy Forum held to discuss the findings of the profile are presented. In America it is supposed to be impossible to work and remain chronically poor, but in fact this is not the case. There are many ways to define the income working families…

In his well-known article "The Coming White Underclass" and other writings Charles Murray has suggested that welfare is the primary cause of out-of-wedlock childbearing. He contends that welfare, including Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), food stamps, and subsidized housing, should be eliminated. While Murray's views have…

Examines the stresses and strengths that define daily negotiated life experiences for women who are poor or working-class and African-American in urban America. Interviews with individuals in these communities show that these women see themselves as constantly negotiating borders of home/family/life and, at the same time, constantly carry…

March 1992 Current Population Survey data were used to identify persons in central city, suburban, and rural areas with multiple disadvantages: high school dropouts, welfare recipients, never-married mothers, underemployed men, and poor people. About 26% of adults with multiple disadvantages lived in rural areas. Of those, 69% were white and 65%…