How Have They Fared? Outcomes After Four Years for the Earliest DABC Clients

DELAWARE

How Have They Fared? Outcomes After Four Years for the Earliest DABC Clients
Date of Report:	August 2001 (http://www.abtassoc.com/reports/welfare-download/How_Have_They_Fared.pdf)
Methodology:	Telephone surveys with 1,599 individuals who received cash assistance during the first year of welfare reform (70% Response Rate)
Study Timeframe:	Interviews were conducted between September 1999 and July 2000, approximately 46 months after families entered the Delaware's A Better Chance (DABC) demonstration.
Investigator (Contact):	Abt Associates, Inc. (David J. Fein)
Study Objective:	To monitor family well-being and identify areas of progress and remaining needs.

Comparable State Findings:	Former Recipients
Percent employed at time of interview	68%
Mean hourly wage of those employed	$8.44
Percent receiving Food Stamps/Medicaid (children) at time of interview	34% / 63%
Percent who say life is "better" after welfare	N/A
Percent receiving cash assistance at time of interview	18%

Employment & Income

The median family income for non-working leavers was $9,464 per year while the median yearly income for employed leavers was $19,200.
27% of employed leavers were earning $10 per hour or more.
More non-working leavers experienced three or more barriers to work (37%) than employed leavers (25%).
Employed leavers worked an average of 36.8 hours per week in their current job.

Other Supports (at time of interview)

Among employed leavers, 35% received child support, 55% received an earned income tax credit, and 27% received child care assistance.
Among unemployed leavers, 34% received child support, 41% received food stamps, 14% received child care assistance, and 21% received disability benefits.
26% of employed leavers reported living with a spouse/partner versus 29% of unemployed leavers.
20% of employed leavers had jobs that provided earnings above the poverty level and health insurance.

Family Well-Being

Among unemployed leavers who said they were not looking for work, health problems were the most common reason (59%).
Although 51% of employed leavers had earnings above the poverty line, 20% reported not having enough money to make ends meet at the end of the month.
34% of unemployed leavers reported not having enough money to make ends meet in the prior month.
43% of employed leavers' children and 50% of unemployed leavers' children saw their non-custodial parent at least once a week.
60% of all respondents said time limits made them try harder to support their families, 50% said the welfare agency helped them become self-sufficient, and 33% said DABC caused them to postpone or stop having children. Conversely, 34% of all respondents said their families were having a harder time because of the new program rules and 61% said agency workers were more concerned with paperwork than with helping people.