Leaving Welfare. Post-TANF Experiences of New York State Families

Leaving Welfare. Post-TANF Experiences of New York State Families
Date of Report:	June 2002 (http://rockinst.org/publications/federalism/leaver_final_June_2002.pdf)
Methodology:	Survey of 1,409 leavers who exited between March and April 1999. (53% response rate)
Study Timeframe:	Leavers were off TANF for 18 - 24 months.
Investigator (Contact):	Rockefeller Institute of Government (Richard Nathan, 518-443-5831)
Study Objective:	Examine family well-being and progress toward self-sufficiency after leaving welfare.

Comparable State Findings:	Former Recipients
Percent employed at time of survey	60%
Mean hourly wage of those employed	N/A
Percent receiving Medicaid (children)/Food Stamps at time of interview	46% / 38%
Percent who say life is "better" after welfare	71%
Percent receiving cash assistance at time of interview	13%

Employment & Income

17% of leavers reported having never worked since closing their welfare case.
Employed leavers reported being at their current job for a median of 25 months, and the majority (74%) were working 35 hours per week or more.
Employed leavers had a median monthly wage of $1,203.
Employed leavers had a median monthly income of $1,376 compared to $600 for those who have not worked since leaving TANF and $800 for those currently on TANF.
Most employed leavers were working in clerical/administrative (22%), medical/health related (16%) or sales and marketing (15%) jobs.
Most employed leavers had paid holidays (71%), vacation (67%) and health insurance (63%).
13% of leavers lived with an employed spouse/partner and 17% lived with an employed older child.
17% of unemployed leavers reported being unemployed because they lost their job.

Other Supports

29% of employed leavers reported using a preschool, nursery or day care center as their child care provider and 27% reported using a relative other than the second parent.
About 25% of employed parents with a child in child care received child care assistance. 74% of these parents received child care assistance from the welfare office.
15% of leavers reported receiving child support in the month prior to the interview. The median monthly payment was $200.
Only 7% of leavers reported receiving food stamps continuously since leaving welfare although 82% reported being enrolled in food stamps before their welfare case closed.
45% of leavers have ever claimed the earned income tax credit.
13% of leavers reported receiving income support from family and friends.

Family Well-Being

21% of leavers reported returning to TANF at least once since the time of exit. The most common reason for returning to TANF was losing their job.
53% of leavers were living above the poverty line.
31% of those who never returned to TANF have had their telephone disconnected, 13% have had their gas/electric disconnected, 12% have been threatened with eviction and 10% lived with others.