Texas

Tracking Recipients after They Leave Welfare

Survey of Closed Cases-Texas

Texas Families in Transition - The Impacts of Welfare Reform Changes in Texas: Early Findings

Date: December 1998

Investigator: Program Analysis and Evaluation Office; Executive Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Project Management at the Texas Department of Human Services and the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University.

Contact Person: Department of Human Services, Executive Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Project Management (512) 438-4046.

Method: Random sample of 3,298 former recipients, who had been off TANF between December 1997 and May 1998, either because they had been redirected through the Texas Works program or had left TANF. 1,159 telephone interviews were conducted and 237 followup mail questionnaires were completed for a response rate of 42%. 549 individuals could not be contacted by mail or telephone. The 1,396 respondents consisted of 708 who were redirected through the Texas Works program and 688 who had left TANF. Texas Works is an up-front employment assistance/diversion program.

Finding in Brief


		Texas Works Group	Left TANF
Employment status
	Employed	50%	59%
	Not employed since leaving	38%	25%
	Average wage	$6.15	$6.35
	Average hours per week	34.7	34.1
Types of employment
	Restaurant/Fast Food	14%	15%
	Retail & Sales	13%	14%
	Clerical	14%	13%
	Nursing	13%	11%
Other sources of support during the last 6 months
	Medicaid	66%	74%
	Food Stamps	64%	68%
	Relatives	32%	29%
	Child Support	16%	16%
	Public Housing	10%	20%
Barriers to employment
	Child Care	23%	21%
	Reliable transportation	22%	23%
	Work clothes	26%	23%
	Job Skills	14%	14%
	GED	37%	34%

For more information please contact Jack Tweedie at NCSL, 303-830-2200.

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