Essay about Federal Welfare Reform - 1651 Words

Federal Welfare Reform: A Critical Perspective Abstract: This project will examine â€Å"welfare reform,† which was signified by the signing of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWOA) in 1996. PRWOA replaced the original welfare act of 1935, titled Aid to Dependent Children (later changed to Aid to Families with Dependent Children), with the program Temporary Assistance to needy Families (TANF). Under PRWOA, TANF was instated as a system of block grants allocated to states to implement their own forms of assistance and replaced programs like the cash-assistance program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training. The most influential change of this legislation†¦show more content†¦Yet, by focusing exclusively on the decline in TANF caseloads, welfare reform is portrayed as a wild success that has allowed families to â€Å"move from dependence on welfare to greater independence through work† (U.S. Department of Health). These sources talk extensively about â€Å"empowerment,† â€Å"protection,† and â€Å"independence† as related directly to work, welfare reform, and its reauthorization. They emphasize a â€Å"national† interest in spending cuts which they assume to be exclusive from the interests of the nation’s poor. The other sources I consulted that were unaffiliated with the government either contradicted or conflicted with the analysis of welfare reform’s success in one way or another. Instead of focusing on the decline in TANF caseloads, these sources looked critically and holistically at welfare reform as a policy and its effect on individuals and families. Instead of ending the analysis with the removal of recipients from the welfare roles, Fremstad, Melendez, and Goldberg examine the long term consequences of removal in terms of poverty, remaining barriers to employment such as disability or childcare, and the affects of reduced educational capitol. In emphasizing these aspects of welfare reform’s impact, the authors reach dramatically different conclusions than the government affiliated sources. Fremstad, Melendez, andShow MoreRelated Social Welfare Past and Present Essay1325 Words   |  6 PagesSocial Welfare Past and Present Social welfare is an expansive system proposed to maintain the well being of individuals within a society. This paper will explain the progression from the feudal system and church provisions for the poor before the Elizabethan Poor Law to the gradual assumption of the responsibility for the poor by the government. A responsibility assumed not out of humanity and concern for the poor, but as a process of standardizing the ways in which the poor were to be managedRead MoreEssay about Welfare Reform: Promoting Independence and Self-Reliance1740 Words   |  7 PagesWelfare Reform: Promoting Independence and Self-Reliance Mary Smith gets up every day at 6 am and begins to hustle around the house. She rouses her three children from their slumber and forces them to get ready for school. Once the kids are on the bus, she hops in her car and heads off to her job at the local fast food restaurant. After working her seven hours at the restaurant, she goes to her night course at the college in town. The course she is taking will help her get her high schoolRead More Management Issues of Implementing Welfare to Work Programs In California3087 Words   |  13 PagesManagement Issues of Implementing Welfare to Work Programs In California In August of 1996, our chief executive of the United States, President Clinton, changed the structure of welfare dependency. He signed into law, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. This act, with its entire new legislature, has come to be known as welfare reform. Our state leaders, administrators and managers face many challenges and constraints in their attempt to implement a law, whichRead MoreEssay Unanswered Questions about Welfare Reform2747 Words   |  11 Pagesabout Welfare Reform   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Welfare is a means of financial assistant for poverty stricken individuals. Year after year presidents have attempted to reconstruct the welfare system so it does not act as a backbone for those who do not want to work, and year after year success seemed out of reach. That is, until President Bill Clinton thought he had the answer. He signed the new welfare reform act in August of 1996, vowing to â€Å"end welfare as we know it.† Terminating a 62 year-old federal entitlementRead MoreWelfare Reform: A Matter of Public Debate2503 Words   |  10 PagesWelfare reform has been a matter of public debate for decades. Welfare is a result of America’s values to support one’s fellow man, but with the stark decline of the economy every state is feeling pressure and looking for new ways to save money. This pressure is manifesting as changes to welfare that are theorized to improve the quality of life for poor families, create a stronger workforce, and s ave taxpayers money. Theory, however, is one thing, and practice is definitely another. This paper willRead MoreFood Stamp Reform Bill Proposal Essay1605 Words   |  7 PagesAssistance Becoming the New Normal). Food banks are designed for extreme measures such a natural disaster, extreme weather conditions, and the homeless. Because food is in short supply, our National government should create and endorse a New Food Stamp Reform Bill; because some individuals who are receiving the benefits that are allotted to them are committing fraud. Hard working Americans who make below the poverty line are denied every day for assistance because abusers are finding new creative waysRead MoreEssay on Welfare2968 Words   |  12 Pages Welfare nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Welfare. Whether you collect it, or you pay for it (and for EVERY working American does one of the two), most citizens of our country are familiar with it. Yet as every second of the day passes, more and more of my money and yours is being allotted to this growing epidemic called welfare. The Personal Responsibility Act, signed by the President, was a monumental change in welfare as we know, or used to know it. The welfare system is still in need or more strictRead More Welfare Reform - Welfare Recipients MUST take Personal Responsibility1248 Words   |  5 PagesWelfare Reform - Welfare Recipients MUST take Personal Responsibility   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Public Welfare is an important support system of the United States government. Welfare has its benefits, but the system has pitfalls. Instead of abolishing welfare as critics of the system suggest, reforms can be made to correct the problems while government, either on the state or federal level, can continue to assist the impoverished.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The term welfare is used to describe a variety of programs that provide Read MoreWelfare to Work Programs Essays932 Words   |  4 Pagesof poverty that requires some type of social welfare policy. Poverty is not a stranger to the United States and therefore it created program such as welfare to assist the poor. The welfare system has evolved over the years sometime for the good and others for the bad. In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. This law changes the way welfare function. This paper will examine welfare to work programs in the United States. Read MoreReforming The Welfare System Reform Essay1479 Words   |  6 Pagesthe welfare system was first initiated by Bill Clinton in 1996, by keeping a promise â€Å"to end welfare as we know it.† Between the years of 1989 and 1994, there had been a 33% increase in the number of households receiving welfare. Originally, these pro visions of reform were implemented as a strategy to increase labor market production among public assistance recipients. Many held the belief that those receiving welfare had become too dependent on public assistance. It was suggested that welfare discouraged