Welfare

  • The War on Poverty and Subsequent Federal Programs: What Worked, What Didn't Work, and Why? Lessons for Future Programs

    Despite mythology to the contrary, the poverty program of the 1960s, during its brief heyday, was remarkably effective in reducing poverty in the United States. Many aspects of that program continue today, albeit with lower profiles; the best known of these is likely Head Start. The poverty program of the 1960s offers many lessons from which twenty-first-century advocates should draw in contemplating how to plan a new, and even more vigorous, "war on on poverty."

    May 22, 2006

  • We Now Have a Historic Opportunity

    We do not have to live in an America that accepts poverty as a fact of life. We know that there's more to America, and Americans understand that everyone has to work hard and take responsibility.

    May 22, 2006

  • Letter from the Executive Director

    May 22, 2006

  • Improving TANF for Teens

    The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program requires teen parents in most cases to attend school and to live with a parent or other adult. While these rules may constitute good policy generally, their across-the-board application can be harmful. Focusing on teen parents, TANF programs tend to overlook the needs of nonparenting teens in TANF and other low-income families. Legal aid programs should reach out to this underserved population to ensure that teens receive necessary services and support.

    July 15, 2005

  • Immigrants' Eligibility for Federal Benefits

    The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 imposed some of the most severe eligibility restrictions on benefits on lawfully present immigrants who had been receiving Supplemental Security Income and food stamps. In the late 1990s Congress restored coverage to some of the immigrants who had been receiving these benefits when the 1996 welfare law was passed. Two tables offer a user-friendly overview of immigrants' eligibility for federal public benefits.

    September 15, 2004

  • Without Photo Identification: Barriers and Strategies

    New security procedures block homeless people and others without photo identification from entering Social Security Administration offices to apply for Supplemental Security Income. A misconception that photo identification is necessary to apply for food stamps keeps many from receiving them. Police officers sometimes arrest homeless people for failure to present identification. Enforcing constitutional rights and regulatory options for verifying identity, helping clients get identification, and advocacy for systemwide corrections enable those without identification documents to access needed resources and vindicate their civil rights.

    November 15, 2003

  • Time Limits, Employment, and State Flexibility in TANF Programming: How States Can Use Time Limits and Earnings Disregards to Support Employment Goals, Preserve Flexibility, and Meet Stricter Federal Participation Requirements

    Work participation rates may become stricter after Congress reauthorizes Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the welfare program mandated in 1996. States may have to adjust their programs to comply with the federal requirements and create work incentives for recipients. Maintaining state programming flexibility with state cash assistance, work supports, time-limit relief, income disregards, and other methods is critical to working recipients' adequate support.

    September 15, 2003

  • The TANF Child Care Collaborative: Responding to a Changed Environment for Subsidized Child Care

    When the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program imposed work requirements on welfare recipients, advocates had to assist clients with difficult child care problems. In response to these challenges, three national legal advocacy groups launched the TANF Child Care Collaborative to support state and local organizations advocating improved child care for low-income families. The collaborative focused on increasing the capacity of state and local advocates to address child care issues in Illinois, New York, and Texas.

    May 15, 2003

  • An Introduction to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program

    Created as part of the 1996 welfare law, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is the federally funded assistance program for low-income children and their families. States have broad discretion to design programs, often at the expense of federal protections for clients and accountability to clients and the public. Advocates need to assist TANF recipients on various legal issues. They must also urge states to make TANF a safety net and an opportunity for a better life for clients.

    January 15, 2003

  • Note from the Managing Editor

    Concerns regarding the reauthorization of TANF.

    November 15, 2002

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