Welfare Reform TANF Work Requirements and the Family Presented by Rose Maxon, Jennifer Davis, Timothy Green, Sylvia Jones, Lorenzo James and Jennipher Nieves

Welfare Works: No Turning Back Purpose  To increase employment and education for adults currently receiving welfare assistance.  Also, to ensure applicants are being notified of resources available and decrease the cycle of families receiving welfare assistance.

Introduction  Also, to ensure applicants are being notified of resources available and decrease the cycle of families receiving welfare assistance.  Much of the stigma has been caused by the pre- reform welfare system of lifetime recipients.  Many people are unaware of the guidelines that have been put forth by the United States government in terms of benefit disbursement.

Introduction  In order to understand out campaign, one must understand the literature of the welfare reform bills. The following slides will discuss:  Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996(PRWORA)  Basics  Requirements

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (PRWORA)  Basics  This act instituted TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)  Placed a time limit on receiving benefits:  Must obtain work within two (2) years of receiving benefits  Lifetime limit of five (5) years of receiving benefits  Welfare is no longer an entitlement or permanent program

Federal Work Requirements for TANF  Recipients must work as soon as job ready/24months  Failure to work can result in reduction/termination of benefits  Single Parent Family  30 hour weekly average work activity for Single parent  20 hour weekly average work activity with children under 6  Two Parent Family  35 hour weekly average work activity  55 hour weekly average work activity with federal child care assistance (Office of Family Assistance, 2009)

Work Activities  Unsubsidized/subsidized employment  Work experience  On-the-job training  Job search/readiness assistance  Community service  Providing childcare for individuals performing community service (Office of Family Assistance, 2009 )

Work Activities  Vocational educational training  Job skills training related to work  Education directly related to employment  Secondary school attendance (Office of Family Assistance, 2009)

WELFARE REFORM What is the Issue?

You Decide  What the American people hope -– what they deserve - – is for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences; to overcome the numbing weight of our politics. For while the people who sent us here have different backgrounds, different stories, different beliefs, the anxieties they face are the same. The aspirations they hold are shared: a job that pays the bills; a chance to get ahead; most of all, the ability to give their children a better life. BARACK OBAMA, State of the Union Address, Jan. 27, 2010

Why Is Welfare Reform So Important?  There are more people on welfare than in the past  Research has demonstrated that people with limited education or work experience, those raising young children, those in poor physical or mental health, those caring for a severely disabled child, or those with limited English proficiency are less likely to be working (Zaslow, 2001)  Work among welfare recipients facing two or more of these barriers increased four-fold, from 5% to 20% (Zaslow, 2001)

The Point Cont.,  Welfare recipients who go to work in low-paying jobs are more likely to remain eligible for a cash payment than they were in the past. With workers staying on the welfare rolls longer, the percentage of the caseload made up of workers increases (Zaslow, 2001)  So the question becomes:

Increase in Caseload  There are 2 groups long-term and short-term recipients  Have of the case is long-term while short-term receive benefits over a period of time  Among those who left welfare between 1997 and 1999, 22% were back on the rolls (Zaslow, 2001)  47% had been on it consistently for the past two years, 26% were on for the first time, and 23%had returned to the rolls after a period off welfare (Zaslow, 2001)

Off Welfare Working for Lower Wages  Adults who leave welfare and work full-time for a full year at the median wage and receive all supplementary benefits for which they are eligible could move their families out of poverty However, most do not receive all of these wage supplements (Zaslow, 2001  1 in 7 adults who leave welfare report no visible means of support. These welfare leavers are not employed, are not in a family with someone who is employed, are not receiving disability benefits, and have not returned to the welfare rolls where they will obtain benefits. Little is known about how these families survive and why they have completely disconnected from the welfare system(Zaslow, 2001)

Hardship has Increased  Former welfare families who now work in the low- wage labor market are likely to have difficulty meeting work-associated expenses such as child care and transportation costs (Gundersen, 2001)  Given the extra income often required just to participate in the workforce, these families also may have difficulty meeting other basic needs, such as food, housing, and medical care (Gundersen, 2001)

Unemployment has Increased

Poverty Status

Effect on Children  Being raised on Welfare also increases the probability that a child will drop out of school and will be on Welfare as an adult (Rector, 2001)  behavioral and emotional problems; suffer from physical abuse; engage in early sexual activity, and do poorly in school (Rector, 2001)  Boys raised in single parent households are more likely to engage in crime (Rector, 2001)  girls are more likely themselves to give birth outside of marriage (Rector, 2001)

Solutions

Sample Application Are you currently employed? YesNo Do you currently have your GED or High School diploma? GEDHigh School Diploma YesNoYesNo Do you currently have a skill or trade with previous experience? List your skill or work experience What kind of employment interests you? Sa les Co n- stru c- tion Food Service Heal th care Environ- mental Child care Do you need Childcare? How many children need care? What resources do you currently need? MedicalYesNo ChildcareYesNo EducationYesNo Cash Assistance YesNo Food Stamps YesNo HousingYesNo Employmen t YesNo How many are currently in your household? List age of each person below. How many over age 18 are employed? Have you ever applied for assistance before? Yes, enter dates and number of months. No Do you receive child support and how much? YesNo AmountApplied?

Sample Application Checklist  If you answered all the questions on the application or need further assistance contact your case worker at the number provided.  If you need assistance with education, employment, childcare, housing, cash assistance, food stamps, contact your case worker and resources will be provided.  casewrk

Group C Blog ogspot.com/2012/02/personal- responsibility- work.html?showComment= #c

Multimedia Tools Internet  YouTube  Commercials on social networking sites  Blog  Social Network  Website Hardcopy  Letters to the Editor  Fliers  Billboards  Radio & TV Ads  Letters to Government representatives

Advantages and Disadvantages of Media Tools Advantages  Help get the message across  Allows others to interact  Shine light on the issue at hand  Fast way to communicate  It’s repetitive  Easier to target your audience Disadvantages  Negative Feedback  People may not be receptive to the information  Cost may be to high  Lack of interest  Message and audience do not match

Personal Contact  Door-to-door  Phone solicitation  Attend community meeting  Address local political assemblies  Solicit clergy support

Government Representatives Contact Information addresses to state representatives  d.shtml    Contact the President  The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC  contact/write-or-call#write contact/write-or-call#write

Five Year Goals  Community colleges supporting low cost classes  Local business providing On-the-job training  Churches and community centers providing GED classes

Ten Year Goals  Change in federal mandate for TANF work requirements to include mandatory GED or specific job related skills training  Minimum wage to support self-sufficiency  30% reduction in long- term dependency on TANF

Conclusion  TANF numbers are down  Work requirements exist  Lack of skills or education  Low wage employment

References  Bousley, Heather, and Bethany Gundersen. "The Economic Policy Institute." When Work Just Isn’t Enough: Measuring Hardships Faced by Families after Moving from Welfare to Work. 1 June Web. 20 Feb  Rector, Robert. "The Effects of Welfare Reform." The Effects of Welfare Reform. 15 Mar Web. 20 Feb  Zaslow, Martha, Kathryn Tout, Christopher Bostko, and Kristin Moore. "Welfare Reform and Children." : Potential Implications. 1 June Web. 20 Feb