This paper reports the characteristics of women who have remained on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio. Data come from the Three-City Study of 2,400 low income families with children. The study collected data on employment, income, family structure, and caregiver characteristics. Results indicate…

In May 2000, a conference on the rural dimensions of welfare reform and food assistance policy brought together researchers, welfare policy experts, and rural scholars. This issue brief summarizes some major findings of the conference and suggests future policy options to better address the differing needs of rural and urban families. Between 1994…

This report provides interim findings from a study of families leaving welfare in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The study is designed to monitor the status of families leaving cash assistance at multiple times and to compare the experiences of exit cohorts drawn at quarterly intervals throughout the process of welfare reform implementation. The report…

This book provides new estimates of the private costs and public effects of childhood disabilities among welfare recipients. Based on over 2,000 interviews conducted between 1992-96 with household heads in 3 California counties, the estimates cover direct expenditures by families and indirect costs from employment reductions. The study finds that…

The passage of the Contract with America Advancement Act terminated the Social Security Administrations Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income benefits for persons diagnosed with drug or alcohol addiction (also known as DA&A recipients), effective January 1, 1997. From an evaluation standpoint, the law created the opportunity…

This review attempts to consider all publicly available studies that examine employment outcomes for people who have left welfare. Only studies that describe their methodology clearly and report survey response rates of 50% or higher are included, for a total of 11 studies reviewed. These studies cover various geographic areas, labor market…

Presents results of a study using national survey data that indicates that maternal employment in families that had previously received welfare does not hurt children's social or cognitive development and may improve their situations. Outcomes were better for those whose mothers earned higher wages. (SLD)

Reviews research from the late 1960s through the present that considers how maternal employment affects children in low-income families. Most studies have indicated that children are not harmed when mothers go to work, but it is noted that the women in these studies entered employment voluntarily. (SLD)

Researchers assembled a database of current and projected information on the following: welfare recipients; other female participants in the labor market; employment, occupational availability, and job openings; and occupational characteristics. The database was used in a multistep process to project the number of women forced to leave welfare…

Finds that, among 2,397 heads of poor Southern households in the March 1986 Current Population Survey, race and education were significant determinants of employment status in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, respectively. Age and receipt of welfare in the previous year were important factors in both areas. (SV)

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…

Data from a nationwide study of low-income people are considered as they apply to the WIN program. The study tested major assumptions upon which WIN is based. The data tend to support the objectives and methods of the WIN program expressed in the original legislation. The analysis summarizes the relevant findings into principles, which support the…

This report takes an in-depth look at the evidence of family well-being since the 1996 federal welfare legislation drawing on new national survey data, a review of studies by states and research institutions, and a compilation of findings from informal community-based monitoring projects. Disturbing findings include: Only a small fraction of…

This report previews the Self-Sufficiency Project's (SSP's) longer-term effects by looking at these four related issues: wage progression, job retention, marital status, and attitudes toward work. A companion report, available separately, examines SSP's effects on children. Chapter 1 discusses the SSP research and demonstration project that…

This paper examines patterns of change in the number of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan Texas counties, 1980-1990. Specifically, the paper analyzes how changes in AFDC enrollment can be explained by demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and the extent to which factors explaining…