Work First New Jersey Evaluation. WFNJ Clients Under Welfare Reform: How Is an Early Group Faring Over Time?

Notes substantial economic progress for most clients over time, although the pace of progress has slowed considerably. The majority of welfare recipients find jobs, although many find it difficult to maintain sustained employment. Some groups continue to struggle financially, particularly those who have left TANF, are not employed, and lack stable support. Others have remained on or returned to TANF and are approaching time limits; many of them face multiple barriers to work. The study also looks at marriage patterns, finding that nine percent of those who were unmarried when they entered WFNJ were married and living with a spouse four to five years later.