Census Bureau data, 1970-90, indicate that families of nonmetropolitan poor children relied more heavily on parental earnings and less on public assistance than their metropolitan counterparts, but reliance on public assistance rose sharply during the period, especially for nonmetro children. Welfare's ability to ameliorate poverty was modest and…

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…

Information on the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program in Wisconsin is provided in this document. Part 1 is a summary of the history, administration, and funding of the program. In Part 2, various elements of the AFDC program are described. These include eligibility requirements, grant calculation, work requirements, and medical…

The poor evidently do not all think alike or react similarly to materials written for them. The authors suggest that professionals should reassess their communications approach to the poor, because of the sharply differing attitudes, opinions, and values which their study found among welfare recipients. Five well-defined groups are described.…

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 1999 study assessed whether laws protecting low-income people's rights were being followed and whether people on public assistance were receiving appropriate information about child care. Surveys of 92 parents, predominantly women, indicated that most were concerned about being sanctioned if they were unable to work (often because their…

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…

Using estimates drawn from the 1997 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF), this brief examines variations in the receipt of dental care services and in unmet need for dental care across different subgroups of children aged 3 and over, both nationally and across 13 states. The NSAF is a household survey that provides information on more than…

H.R. 4678, the Child Support Distribution Act of 2000, was scheduled for debate and a vote in the House of Representatives in September 2000. This bill would help poor children escape poverty, strengthen families, and build on and enhance welfare reform. The support changes in this bill would allow more of the child support collected from…

Middle-class respondents mistakenly deny that the work ethic is strong among the poor, fundamentally misunderstand how high work ethic leads to increased feelings of insecurity, and mistakenly project for the poor a strong identification of welfare income with income from quasi-illegal sources. (Author)

Uses time-series analyses to examine "culture-of-poverty" argument behind rising poverty levels. Discusses alternative views. Finds welfare benefits reduce poverty, modestly relate to increasing female headship, and strongly relate to rising unemployment among young minority males. Calls for more comprehensive model to explain poverty.…

Uses federal survey data to examine U.S. population with inadequate income for less than one year. Reports long-term and persistent poor are more likely to be aged, Black, and disabled. Welfare programs may not target groups comprising the short-term poor, leading to inadequate services. (DHP)

Examines the policy implications of welfare reform on the Asian-immigrant community, beginning with a systematic analysis of the relationships between Asian immigrants and the public-welfare system since 1965. The dismantling of welfare that has coincided with immigration reform has left naturalization as the only protection in the current…

Costs and the likely effects of assured child-support benefits on poverty and welfare participation are estimated under two scenarios: with and without incorporating the labor supply changes of custodial parents. Results indicate reductions in poverty rates, poverty gap, welfare caseloads, and expenditures. Changeable hours will increase costs.…