Survey of TANF Clients Eligible for TWP, But Not Currently Participating

MISSISSIPPI

Survey of TANF Clients Eligible for TWP, But Not Currently Participating
Date of Report:	December 1999 (web address not available)
Methodology:	Survey: 342 surveys were completed of those who left TANF between January and April,1999 from 8 eight counties (84% response rate).
Study Timeframe:	The survey was conducted 17-23 months after TANF cases were closed.
Investigator (Contact):	Millsaps College Center for Applied Research (Jesse Beeler 601-974-1248)
Study Objective:	Compare the experience of those who left TANF and were not employed or participating in the TANF Work Program for 12 months (non-participants) with those that left TANF and were employed.

Comparable State Findings:	Former Recipients
Percent employed at time of interview	N/A
Mean/Median hourly wage of those employed	N/A
Percent receiving Food Stamps/Medicaid at time of interview (average)	58% / 72%
Percent who say life is "better" after welfare (average)	61%
Percent receiving cash assistance in first year since exit	N/A

Employment & Income

The non-participant clients (who were not working at the time of the interview) reported that the top three reasons for not working were: physical/mental illness (49%), inability to find a job (12%) and a lack of transportation (11%).
24% of all respondents felt that child care was a barrier to keeping/finding employment. It was more common that employed leavers were aware of child care subsidies (49%) than non-participants (27%).
Employed leavers were more likely to own a car (53% v. 26%) and therefore less likely to have lost a job at some time due to a lack of transportation (22% v. 30%).
When asked to identify their job skills, employed leavers had significantly more skills than their non-participant counterparts. 24% of non-participants indicated that they had none of the job skills listed compared to 2% of employed leavers.

Other Supports

29% of employed leavers reported receiving child support payments compared to only 17% of non-participants.
More than three times as many non-participants received SSI or SSDI benefits since their TANF case closed than employed leavers (54% v. 14%).
Employed leavers were less likely to receive Food Stamps (54% v. 62%) and Medicaid (62% v. 81%) at the time of the interview.

Family Well-Being

41% of the non-participants and 63% of employed leavers said that they did not think that they would return to public assistance.
Employed leavers were less likely to have received welfare when they were children (27% v. 38%).