Work To Welfare

Under the William Jefferson Clinton Administration, Welfare Reform underwent major changes in 1996, when it comes to the aim and goal of public assistance to needy families, primarily single mothers with children. Prior to 1996, the federal program Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) gave financial assistance to families for an indefinite period of time (Welfare 1). However, in 1996, welfare reform legislation was enacted that made sweeping changes in this kind of public assistance. Known in lay terms as welfare-to-work reform, a new program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was approved by legislators (Welfare 1). This program provides financial assistance for a specified period of time. The major emphasis behind TANF is putting those who receive cash assistance to work as quickly as possible. Before the creation of TANF, those who received welfare assistance were seen as welfare queens, mothers who were viewed as lazy and would prefer having children and staying home while receiving a government welfare check. The results of TANF have been successful in moving many single mothers from welfare to gainful employment. Yet, a new challenge has arisen in regard to these single moms who now work and play by the rules. There is a growing number of these working mothers who represent and underclass who may be working and playing by the rules, but whose lack of education, sk

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cally available only the first year during the transition from welfare to work. This costs an average of $1,400 a month per child (Hopfensberger 1). A single mother working at a rate of $7.50 per hour finds it difficult enough to afford housing, food, clothing and transportation let alone another $350.00 per week for child care. A lack of education and job skills are also a problem for working single mothers who are making the transition from welfare to work. Transportation, most of which many single moms with children who make the welfare-to-work transition do not have, is another obstacle to finding good employment opportunities. Some communities and states have tried to adopt a more holistic approach that meets the needs of these single moms in addition to merely finding them work and stopping a monthly paycheck. In Minnesota, the Minnesota Workforce Center in Brainerd tries to assist about 350 single mothers with a pre-school child who are making the welfare-to-work transition. Brainerd, in Crow Wing County, has approximately double the statewide number of welfare working single mothers. Yet, those who participate in the Minnesota Workforce Center’s program experience problems similar to those of many single moms with
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2009
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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