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MISSISSIPPI
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Tracking of TANF Clients - First Report of a Longitudinal Study |
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Date of Report: |
January 1999 (web address not available) |
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Methodology: |
Survey: 351 closed cases from eight counties. (87% Response Rate) |
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Study Timeframe: |
Interviews were conducted in the fall of 1998, 3 - 9 months after exit. |
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Investigator (Contact): |
Millsaps College Center for Applied Research (Jesse Beeler 601-974-1264) |
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Study Objective: |
Assess the experiences of former TANF recipients after case closure. |
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Comparable State Findings: |
Former Recipients |
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Percent employed at time of interview |
35% |
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Mean hourly wage of those employed |
$5.77 |
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Percent receiving Food Stamps/Medicaid (for children) at time of interview |
58% / 44% |
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Percent who say life is "better" after welfare |
40% |
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Percent receiving cash assistance at time of interview |
16% |
Employment & Income
- While 35% of respondents were employed at the time of interview, 53% reported being unemployed for the past 6 months.
- 67% of employed respondents worked 35 hours a week or more.
- The most common reasons attributed to unemployment were inability to find a job (39%), physically/mentally ill (27%), lack of transportation (17%), lack of child care (16%), and wanting to stay home with children (12%).
- Only 13% of recipients left TANF due to increased earnings/employment. Half the cases that were closed were closed due to non-compliance.
Other Supports
- 34% of respondents received rent subsidies and 28% received money gifts from family or friends.
- 18% of respondents reported receiving child support.
- Only 60% of respondents reported knowing they could receive food stamps, Medicaid and child care assistance after leaving TANF.
- Rural leavers reported a greater tendency to return to government programs (TANF, Food Stamps and Medicaid) after leaving TANF than their urban counterparts (73% v. 37%).
- Although the majority of leavers (85%) report no change in their housing situation since leaving TANF, 34% depend on a rent subsidy which averages $254 per month while 18% of leavers live rent free.
- Only 25% of leavers reported using child care. The majority of this population (62%) used family/friends as child care providers while 38% used an organized child care center.
- Those who paid for child care paid an average cost of $43 per child, per week. 56% of eligible families using child care received state sponsored child care payments.
Family Well-Being
- 11% of respondents said there had been a time since leaving welfare in which they did not have enough money for food. 93% of these respondents reported getting food from relatives, a church or a food pantry.
- 12% reported that their children's medical needs had gone unattended since leaving TANF.
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