More Than Just 'Welfare'.

• Author: Tweedie, Jack

States are transforming welfare from cash assistance to a variety of services to strengthen poor families.

In Colorado Springs, Colo., a group of grandmothers sit around a table helping each other overcome the challenges they face in raising their children's kids. They talk about how the county welfare office helps them care for their grandchildren--security deposits for new apartments, counseling to help them and the children cope with the changes, and additional cash assistance to help cover expenses. The county assigns their best child welfare workers to these cases, because without the grandparents' help these children could easily end up in foster care.

In Los Angeles, fathers participate in classes that teach them how to be parents to their children, even though they live apart. They talk about how to negotiate conflicts with the mother of their kids so the clashes don't interfere with their relationships with their children. Afterwards, the fathers go to job training and vocational classes that will help them get jobs (or better jobs) so they can pay more support.

In Nashville, former welfare recipients who have jobs still qualify for child care, Medicaid and transportation assistance. If their car breaks down or their babysitter is sick, they can call a hotline to get immediate help. They can still make it to work and not risk losing their jobs.

In Columbus, Ohio, the Head Start program now runs all day, so children can receive more services while their parents work. And new funding has expanded the number of children enrolled.

In Santa Fe, N. M., the Legislature's Welfare Reform Oversight Committee listens to teachers and students talk about the GRADS program--where teenagers who have babies can remain in school with ready access to child care, peer support, health care and vocational training. GRADS improves school performance, helps participants get good jobs and reduces the chance they will have more children while still teenagers. When speakers raise questions about continued funding, Representative J. Paul Taylor answers, "TANF. We can use TANF money for this great program."

That's the common thread here. All these programs are funded under the states' Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant. Across the country, welfare has become more than a cash assistance program. TANE provides the flexibility and the resources states can use to provide all kinds of services and programs to help poor working families.

WORK AND BEYOND

Over the past several years, state legislatures have focused their welfare programs on work. They require most recipients to work while receiving benefits, and have time limits (usually 24 or 60 months) on how long recipients can get cash. They also substantially increased money for child care and transportation to support parents who are working.

Helped by a strong economy, the results of these changes are extraordinary. Welfare caseloads have been cut in half. State studies of families who have left welfare show that most adults are leaving for jobs. States have also seen big increases in the percentage of families who still receive cash assistance even though they work. But it's not all good news. In some welfare families, the parent is not working and the family is struggling to get by.

Although there has been remarkable progress, states still face challenges in moving recipients off welfare and into work. Many longterm recipients face tough challenges such as substance abuse, learning disabilities and depression. Parents who are working still need services so they can keep their jobs, increase their earnings and have a chance to support their families without government assistance.

And so states are looking to do more. The stunning drop in the cash rolls means that states have money available for new programs after paying benefits and enrolling recipients in work programs. They have billions of dollars--even after putting...