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FLORIDA
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After Leaving WAGES |
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Date of Report: |
March 1999 (web address not available) |
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Methodology: |
Telephone survey: 4,529 interviews were conducted from a sample of leavers with a listed phone number. (48% Response Rate) |
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Study Timeframe: |
Interviews were conducted with families who were off WAGES for 1 - 28 months. |
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Investigator (Contact): |
Florida State University (Robert Crew, bcrew@coss.fsu.edu) |
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Study Objective: |
Examine the experiences of families after leaving welfare. |
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Comparable State Findings: |
Former Recipients |
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Percent employed at time of interview |
57% |
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Median hourly wage of those employed |
$6.00 - $6.99 |
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Percent receiving Food Stamps/Medicaid at time of interview |
57% / 68% |
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Percent who say life is "better" after welfare |
50% |
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Percent receiving cash assistance in first year since exit |
N/A |
Employment & Income
- 7% of employed leavers earned over $10 an hour, which is the specified WAGES level of self-sufficiency.
- 45% of leavers worked 40 - 45 hours per week.
- Although over 60% of leavers had their own transportation and drove themselves to work, 27% of employed respondents said they could get a better job if they had more reliable transportation and 21% had missed work in the last month because of transportation problems.
- Similarly, 26% of employed respondents said they could get a better job if they had better child care and 22% had missed work in the last month due to child care problems.
Other Supports
- 18% of respondents were using child care subsidies.
- 14% of respondents were receiving SSI.
- Approximately 50% of adult leavers and one-third of their children had no health insurance of any kind.
- Most employed leavers (54%) had jobs that do not provide benefits.
- 21% of leavers received child support.
- To support themselves without cash assistance, 16% of leavers depended on live-in family/friends for help with bills while 10% relied on relatives to get free housing.
Family Well-Being
- Although leavers reported "better" lives after leaving welfare, many continued to encounter family hardships after exiting cash assistance. For example, 59% of respondents said they were behind in their utility bills, 50% said they were behind in rent or housing payments, 43% had no way to buy food, 40% had their telephone service cut-off, 27% had their electricity cut-off, and 20% had to move due to lack of money.
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