Welfare reform in Iowa succeeded in getting welfare recipients into training and then into jobs. However, the reforms did not always succeed in raising family income and may have reduced it for some families. Furthermore, researchers noted negative impacts on some measures of family and child...

Notes that case management, the program's central feature, was valued by participants, but more concrete services, such as help with child care, transportation, or work-related issues, may be helpful.

Provides an early, in-depth look at newly employed welfare recipients in Allegheny County, PA, who are taking part in a voluntary employment retention program, finding that most are keeping their jobs but may need help with job advancement.

A burgeoning literature suggests that marriage may have a wide range of benefits, including improvements in individuals' economic well-being and mental and physical health, as well as the well-being of their children. The authors have synthesized recent literature from rigorous research studies...

This report describes the status of over 1,000 Virginia families 18 months after their TANF cases closed because of a time limit. It finds that nearly all parents worked after leaving TANF, with average hours, hourly wages, and total earnings increasing over time. Families also decreased their...

Finds that most WtW grantees, except recently funded ones, are now delivering services, but restrictive eligibility rules still in effect in late 1999 continue to impede enrollment. Despite low enrollment, grantees have moved expeditiously to place WtW participants in work activities. To date,...

The use of private organizations to perform social service functions has increased greatly in the past few years, although little is known about the privatization of welfare services. This report reviews the literature to set the stage for a study looking at the experiences of six agencies that...

Examines whether differences between respondents and nonrespondents in a survey of Iowa families that left TANF resulted in findings that overstated the economic well-being of these families. Finds that nonrespondents were less likely to have health insurance and more likely to have...