Notes that in spring 1999, almost 60 percent of families left Iowa's TANF program voluntarily and most were able to remain off the rolls for at least a year. Eight to 12 months after they left, just over 60 percent of family heads were working, and many families still relied on Medicaid....

This report describes opportunities to rigorously test the effectiveness of employment initiatives for this population. The report addresses two key questions: (1) Which strategies would be most interesting to test and how could programs be designed to support rigorous evaluations of them? (2)...

Notes that the mix of families remaining on cash assistance has changed, with child-only cases—in which only children are receiving assistance—becoming a growing portion of New Jersey’s welfare caseload. These cases grew from 17 percent of the state’s caseload in 1995 to 33...

This brief profiles two programs, one statewide and one local, for analyzing, reporting, and using data to hold case managers and administrators accountable for increasing the work participation of TANF recipients. The selected strategies use data to keep staff informed about progress toward...

Highlights operational lessons from a Pennsylvania initiative that operated from 1998 through early 2001 and contributed to the state's current program of pre- and postemployment services for TANF recipients. Notes implementation challenges, including lower than expected enrollment, job...

This report provides information on the demographic and economic characteristics of SNAP households in fiscal year 2009. The average monthly number of participants reached a record high of 32.9 million. Nearly half of recipients were children, another 8 percent were over age 60, about 40 percent...

This four-page issue brief notes that government housing subsidies improve access to stable, affordable housing for low-income families. Current and former welfare families that receive these subsidies devote a smaller portion of their income to housing, face less housing instability, and live...

Both Maryland and Utah more than doubled their state TANF work participation rates within a one-year period. Maryland’s rate increased from 20.5 percent in 2005 to 44.5 percent in 2006. Utah’s rate increased from 16 percent in October 2006 to 45.5 percent in October 2007. Both adopted a...

When TANF was created in 1996, the program imposed new requirements on states to compel welfare recipients to work and place time limits on their benefits. It also offered states substantial flexibility in meeting these federal requirements. As we enter TANF's second decade, it is useful to...