The Interaction between Food Stamps and Welfare Programs: An Empirical Model of Program Dynamics in the Cleveland Metropolitan Area, 1992-2003

The 1996 welfare reform legislation has spawned a multitude of studies of the experiences of welfare recipients and their families since the reforms have been implemented (e.g. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000; Cancian, Haveman, Kaplan, Meyer and Wolfe, 1999; Harris, 1996; Coulton et al., 2001a). Many of these studies take a programmatic focus and examine only individuals who are or were TANF recipients. Although many of these studies do consider whether welfare recipients also received Food Stamps along with their cash assistance, the focus is on TANF program dynamics. Taking such a narrow focus fails to place the Food Stamp program into the proper context. The reality of the many cash and in-kind assistance programs is that they are very dynamic. Many individuals and their families move on and off of a variety of programs on a month-by-month basis.