Based on a one-year follow-up survey with a representative sample of over 400 single-mother TANF clients, the report examines how various obstacles to employment constrained clients’ employability and influenced their experiences with welfare-to-work activities and supportive services. Also...

Assesses the effects of employment on family well-being for current and former TANF recipients in Iowa who gained employment. Finds that when parents were employed, they reported aggregate improvements in family income, standard of living, parental self-esteem, parenting skills, and how their...

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...

Privatizing welfare services poses significant challenges to state and local agencies. This study of TANF case management privatization in six states looks at issues such as deciding the size and scope of contracts, selecting contractors, promoting competition, ensuring effective and fair...

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...