Oregon Families Who Left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or Food Stamps: A Study of Economic and Family Well-Being From 1998 to 2000 (Vol. 1)
dc.contributor.author | CSWS Welfare Research Team | |
dc.contributor.author | Acker, Joan | |
dc.contributor.author | Morgen, Sandra | |
dc.contributor.author | Heath, Terri | |
dc.contributor.author | Barry, Kate | |
dc.contributor.author | Gonzales, Lisa | |
dc.contributor.author | Weigt, Jill | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2023-06-14T20:50:25Z | |
dc.date.available | 2023-06-14T20:50:25Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2001-01 | |
dc.description | 122 pages | en_US |
dc.description.abstract | What happens to families that leave or are diverted from cash assistance or Food Stamps in Oregon? Dramatic reductions in public assistance caseloads after welfare reform have raised public concern about poor families. Our study indicates that the effects of welfare -to-work policies are neither simple nor uniform. The experiences of families suggest that it is unwise to paint a picture of welfare reform without attending to the diversity of families’ experiences and needs. Two years after leaving or being diverted from Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or Food Stamps, a substantial proportion of respondents are employed. However, their earnings are low and families struggle mightily to make ends meet. Our sample was nearly evenly divided between those with household incomes above and below the federal poverty level. Safety net programs such as Food Stamps, the Oregon Health Plan, housing and child-care assistance and federal and state earned income tax credits are critical for family well-being. These essential resources often disappear before a family’s need for them diminis hes because of income eligibility limits and unaffordable co-payments associated with the programs. Non-employed respondents often live in communities without sufficient good jobs, have chronic health problems or they need job training or education. The state of Oregon, and these families, would be well served by intensified efforts to reduce poverty, sustain and improve safety net programs and foster more living wage jobs across the state. | en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship | This project was funded by a contract from Adult and Family Services to the Center for the Study of Women in Society at the University of Oregon. Additional funding was provided by the CSWS Women in the Northwest Research Initiative. AFS staff Sue Smit, Ron Taylor, Elizabeth Lopez and Don Main collaborated with the CSWS Welfare Research Team on the formulation of research questions, design of the telephone survey and overall project design. They also did extensive work with the Administrative Record Data. | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1794/28413 | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.publisher | University of Oregon | en_US |
dc.rights | Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-US | en_US |
dc.subject | welfare | en_US |
dc.subject | SES | en_US |
dc.subject | family income | en_US |
dc.subject | poverty | en_US |
dc.subject | living wage jobs | en_US |
dc.title | Oregon Families Who Left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or Food Stamps: A Study of Economic and Family Well-Being From 1998 to 2000 (Vol. 1) | en_US |
dc.type | Article | en_US |