According to GAO's analysis of data in the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS), on average, low-wage workers worked fewer hours per week, were more highly concentrated in a few industries and occupations, and had lower educational…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance released 22 work participation rate tables for fiscal year 2016. The tables include an average number of work-eligible…

This blog post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families details the reasoning behind a recent decision to rescind waivers from TANF work requirements. Strengthening work requirements is not…

The annual conference of the National Association of Welfare Research and Statistics (NAWRS) took place from July 30 – August 2, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This year’s theme was: “Moving Forward to Reduce Poverty, Increase Opportunity, and…

It has been 20 years since the U.S. Congress passed welfare reform, and throughout these two decades, Maryland has provided cash assistance to families whose incomes do not meet their basic needs. In this way, the Temporary Cash Assistance program (…

When TANF became law in 1996, welfare recipients were required to engage in work participation activities, and states were required to have 50 percent of their TANF cases meet these participation requirements. The intention of requiring individuals…

Higher family incomes are associated with a variety of positive effects on child well-being, and by connecting parents to career pathways in high-demand industries, states can foster more family stability. In this brief from Ascend at the Aspen…