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

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

3. Introduction  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.

4. 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

5. Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (PRWORA) Basics  This act instituted Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)  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

6. 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)

7. 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 )

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

9. WELFARE REFORM What is the Issue?

10. You Decide  “And 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, and 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

11. Why Is Welfare Reform So Important?  TANF policies require focus on work participation not long- term economic outcome (Strawn, 2010)  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)

12. 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:

13. Off Welfare Working for Lower Wages  Adults who leave welfare and work full-time for a full year could move their families out of poverty. (Zaslow, 2001  1 in 7 adults who leave welfare report no visible means of support. (Zaslow, 2001)  Lack of education equals less earning power (Strawn, 2010)

14. Hardship has Increased  Difficulty meeting work-associated expenses such as child care and transportation costs (Gundersen, 2001)  Work related expenses create difficulty meeting other basic needs, such as food, housing, and medical care (Gundersen, 2001)

15. Unemployment has Increased

16. Poverty Status

17. Effect on Children  Probability that a child will drop out of school and will be on Welfare as an adult (Rector, 2001)  Behavioral and emotional problems (Rector, 2001)  Boys engage in crime (Rector, 2001)  Girls give birth outside of marriage (Rector, 2001)

18. 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?

19. 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.  1-800-casewrk

20. Group C Blog http://soci4080week5groupc.bl ogspot.com/2012/02/personal- responsibility- work.html?showComment=132 9875158223#c587190035153061 7307

21. 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

22. 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

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

24. Solutions  Provide income for childcare so that those on welfare can get the education needed  Create a plan of action for future employment  On-the-job training to increase skills and wages

25. Solutions cont.,  Stronger incentives to change marital, work and childbearing behavior  Discourage irresponsible child bearing  The rate of births to unmarried teen-agers who are most likely of all to need welfare and stay on it is high

26. More Solutions  Medical insurance  Substantial tax relief  Government assistance for those who are working  Increasing refundable tax credits  Raising the minimum wage,  Providing day care

27. Government Representatives Contact Information Email addresses to state representatives  www.usa.gov/contact/electe d.shtml  www.senate.gov  www.governor.state  www.house.gov/writerep Contact the President  The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500  http://www.whitehouse.gov/ contact/write-or-call#write http://www.whitehouse.gov/ contact/write-or-call#write

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

29. 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

30. Conclusion  Education is critical to reducing dependency on government assistance  Employment must provide wages above poverty level  Encourage two-parent families  Visit our blog and join the campaign

31. 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 2001. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. http://www.epi.org/publication/briefingpapers_hardships/ .Eckholm, Erik. "Solutions on Welfare: They All Cost Money." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 July 1992. Web. 22 Feb. 2012..  Obama, B. (2010, January 27). State of the Union  Office of Family Assistance. (2009, April). Retrieved February 16, 2012, from U.S. Deaprtment of Health and Human Services: Administration for Children & Family: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/opa/fact_sheets/tanf_factsheet.html  Rector, Robert. "The Effects of Welfare Reform." The Effects of Welfare Reform. 15 Mar. 2001. Web. 20 Feb. 2012..  Zaslow, Martha, Kathryn Tout, Christopher Bostko, and Kristin Moore. "Welfare Reform and Children." : Potential Implications. 1 June 2001. Web. 20 Feb. 2012..