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NEW MEXICO
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Survey of Current and Former Welfare Recipients |
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Date of Report: |
April 2000 (http://www.state.nm.us/hsd/welfaresurvey.html) |
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Methodology: |
Telephone survey: 1,812 families (72.5% Response Rate) |
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Study Timeframe: |
Interviews were conducted between November 1999 and January 2000, six to 18 months after families either first started receiving cash assistance or were receiving cash assistance. |
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Investigator (Contact): |
Maximus, Inc. (Phil Richardson) |
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Study Objective: |
Analyzes county-level data to provide more detailed information on the TANF population. |
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Comparable State Findings: |
Former Recipients |
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Percent employed at time of interview |
58% |
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Median hourly wage category of those employed |
$6.00 - $6.99 |
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Percent receiving Food Stamps/Medicaid at time of interview |
39% / 58% |
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Percent who say life is "better" after welfare |
58% |
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Percent receiving cash assistance in the past six months |
20% |
Employment & Income
- 47% of respondents left welfare because they got a job while 11% left because they were cut-off or sanctioned. Typically, the reason for exit impacts the likelihood of returning to welfare. 39% of those who exited due to sanctions reported that they were very likely to return to welfare compared to only 9% of those who left because they got a job.
- Barriers to employment reported by those still on welfare included: unable to find a job that pays enough (30%), child care problems (23%), and lack of education (21%).
- 38% of leavers are not working for pay. Of these respondents, 12% are living with an employed spouse or partner and 5% are living with an employed adult (not a spouse or partner) leaving 20% of unemployed with no obvious source of household income.
- The majority of working leavers were age 30 - 34 (70%), had only one child (66%), attended some college (75%), and were never married (69%).
- Unemployed leavers who were employed at some time since leaving welfare (51%) most commonly quit their job (44%) and were therefore unemployed. The most common reasons for quitting were: problems with child care (21%), illness/disability (17%), and problem with boss/co-worker (12%).
Other Supports (at time of interview)
- 10% of unmarried leavers received child support - only 1/3 of those with court ordered child support. Further, 44% of leavers felt that their local child support agency was "not very helpful."
- Leavers were more likely than those on welfare to get financial support from their family/friends (19% v. 13%) or to live rent free (13% v. 6%) to make ends meet.
Family Well-Being
- Leavers continued to encounter family hardships, especially related to their housing situation. 29% of leavers got behind in rent/mortgage payments compared to 24% while on TANF, 19% moved in with a friend/relative compared to 17% while on TANF, and 10% went without heat, electricity or water compared to 12% while on TANF.
- 25% of leavers reported an inability to buy food. Of this population, there was little difference between those who had difficulty buying food by employment status or Food Stamp status.
- 43% of leavers used child care and 33% of those leavers received help from the county to pay for child care. However, 11% of leavers needed routine child care but could not pay for it.
- 26% of those who left TANF did not have medical coverage for their children.
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