Ex-Welfare Recipients Land On Their Feet Survey Shows 80 Percent Of Those Not Now Receiving Cash Aid Say They Are Able To Make Ends Meet
Idaho has been trying to find out what happened to all the people who dropped off state cash assistance rolls after new laws went into effect in July.
Advocates for the homeless feared that a lot of people would “fall through the cracks” due to tougher new requirements.
But Gov. Phil Batt and Linda Caballero, director of the Department of Health and Welfare said Friday that doesn’t seem to be happening.
An independent survey shows nearly 80 percent of former welfare recipients who are not participating in new cash assistance programs say they are able to pay their own rent and live in what they consider to be permanent housing.
Most of the former welfare families still rely on food stamps to buy groceries and Medicaid to help with the medical bills.
After Idaho’s welfare reform went into effect in July, welfare workers reported a 63 percent drop in the workload.
About 6,800 families received cash assistance through the Aid to Families With Dependent Children program in June. When new laws went into effect, the name was changed to Temporary Assistance for Families in Idaho, reflecting the goal of getting people off welfare.
In July, 3,100 families qualified for cash assistance, dropping more in August and to 2,280 families on Sept. 22.
“Our intent was not to cut numbers just for the sake of cutting but rather to help families take care of themselves,” Batt said. “We would far rather put dollars into supporting working families than into keeping people on public assistance.”
Caballero ordered the survey in July. Questionnaires were mailed to more than 5,000 families that participated in the old program in March but did not sign up for the new program in July. More than 1,000 families responded.
“Some people wanted to say the caseload drop was a clear sign that welfare reform worked,” Caballero said. “Others said it showed just as clearly that we somehow had failed.
“My overriding concern was finding out if those families and their children were okay. It’s nice to know that, by and large, they are,” she said.
Nearly half those responding to the survey reported an increase in self-esteem and 25 percent said new eligibility requirements for cash assistance spurred them to look for work. Another 20 percent said they were working.
About 63 percent of the parents of families that did not enter the new welfare program said they were earning more than the minimum wage and 32 percent said they were earning more than $6 per hour. Very few said they rely on food banks or other community resources.
“This is very exciting news,” Caballero said. “These people dropped out of the cash assistance program, but for the most part they did not drop out of sight or through holes in the social safety net.” xxxx SURVEY FINDINGS 25 percent said they were looking for work. 20 percent said they were working. 63 percent of the parents of families that did not enter the new welfare program said they were earning more than the minimum wage. 32 percent said they were earning more than $6 per hour.