Agenda - 06-27-2002 - 8i - Laserfiche WebLink

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i Paul Dagys Winnie Morgan (center), Work First faith-involve- i d coordinator e . ;support advise and ;' ilies who have been on Work First-Here, she talks with Phyliciah, Diggs . e . • . . . . HowJ jn July 1996, "welfare" was declared eral public-assistance law places a 60-month 1 dead in North Carolina, and "Work lifetime limit on each adult's receipt of First"was born.The mandate followed benefits.In some cases the state may grant national welfare reform:economic assistance hardship extensions of both limits. Work First w�not an entitlement for needy families as More than five years later,the number of it had been for more than 30 years.Counties North Carolinians cashing monthly assis- would spend public-assistance money to tance checks has certainly dropped—from help families go to work more than 120,000 in January 1995 to Working help achieve these goals' North Carolina about 51,500 in December 2001. But it's • requires each county to develop a plan for still too early to tell whether Work First is moving families into work. Counties get really a success,says Dean Duncan,clinical limited flexibility in how they implement associate professor of social work The true COmmunity groups their plans and spend their public assistance test,he says,will be how well families fare money, though each county must provide after they leave the program. are stepping up basic services such as child care.And money Other Carolina researchers are equally must be spent on families whose income reluctant to proclaim Work First§ success as the first waves is 200 percent of the poverty level or less or failure.Instead,says Phil Cooke,profes- of as pig workers and who have children under the age of 18. sor of social work, they are telling a story pg With this autonomy comes responsibility about how welfare reform has played out leave the welfare rolls. for meeting goals such as having 50 percent in North Carolina.These researchers and of clients working at least part time. some social workers agree that Work First The new laws also placed time limits has spurred counties to find new ways of bAngela S on public assistance for the first time. in helping clients become self-sufficient. But y n g Spivey y North Carolina, any adult who has been scarce resources make it harder to help on assistance for 24 consecutive months some of the toughest cases—those who,for must leave Work First and may not receive instance,have only a sixdr-grade education assistance again for three years.And the fed- or have never held a job. 30 endeavors