Life After Welfare- Report of the Georgia Welfare Leavers Study

GEORGIA

Life After Welfare: Report of the Georgia Welfare Leavers Study
Date of Report:	January 2001 (http://www.arc.gsu.edu/)
Methodology:	Administrative and survey data: 2,934 interviews were conducted. Both single-parent and child-only cases were considered. Findings reported below are based on single-parent cases only. (Response Rate 52%)
Study Timeframe:	Report focused on individuals who left welfare between January 1999 and June 2000. Telephone surveys were 4 - 6 months after exit.
Investigator (Contact):	Applied Research Center, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University (E. Michael Foster, emfoster@gsu.edu)
Study Objective:	Examine the impact of leaving welfare on individuals and their families.

Comparable State Findings:	Former Recipients
Percent employed at time of interview	69%
Mean/Median hourly wage of those employed	N/A
Percent receiving Food Stamps/Medicaid (children) at time of interview	74% / 92%
Percent who say life is "better" after welfare	N/A
Percent receiving cash assistance nine months after exit	15%

Employment & Income

The average monthly earnings reported by employed leavers were $1,047.
65% of employed leavers reported monthly wages below $1,000. Of those, 32% reported monthly earnings below $800. Only 18% of leavers had earnings above $1,200 per month.
The majority of single-parent leavers (81%) reported leaving welfare for work.
12% of leavers reported actively looking for work and 5% reported not working due to a disability.
Among those working, 73% reported working at least 40 hours a week.

Other Supports (at time of interview)

59% of leavers eligible to receive child support reported receiving the full payment each month. 56% of these payments were less than $150 per month.
87% of leavers received free/reduced lunch for their children, 60% of leavers lived in public housing or used vouchers, 59% of leavers relied on relatives to make ends meet and 43% relied on friends.

Family Well-Being

At the time of exit, 39% of leavers had received cash assistance for less than one year. 31% had received assistance for more than 2 years.
Access to quality child care is a problem for many leavers. 21% of children under 12 in single-parent households stayed home alone (4%) or in the care of a relative under age 13 (17%).
13% of respondents reported experiencing times when they did not have enough to eat.
22% of leavers were unable to pay their full utility bill, 19% had their telephone service disconnected, and 10% were unable to seek needed medical attention due to an inability to pay.
62% of children in single-parent families had no contact with their non-custodial parent.
Most leavers (60%) had access to a car to drive to work, though 11% relied on friends.
The vast majority of respondents (93%) reported being either somewhat confident or extremely confident that they will remain off welfare.
46% of leavers had just enough money to make ends meet at the end of the month while 26% did not have enough and 28% had some money left over.
18% of leavers reported that they were unable to pay their rent or mortgage in full and 4% had been evicted. However, among those leavers who moved after exiting welfare (about 1/4 of leavers), most did so to improve their living conditions. 32% moved for more space, 20% bought a home and 27% reported they moved into a better neighborhood.