Welfare Reform after Two Years: Technical Report on Former Welfare Recipients in Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA

Welfare Reform after Two Years: Technical Report on Former Welfare Recipients in Pennsylvania
Date of Report:	November 1999 (web address not available)
Methodology:	Administrative and survey data: 125 interviews were conducted out of a sample of 432 closed cases (response rate 29%). Study did not include those cases that returned to TANF after exit.
Study Timeframe:	Cases that left TANF between March 1997 and March 1999 and remained off cash assistance for at least six months.
Investigator (Contact):	Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (717-787-7690)
Study Objective:	To examine the experiences of those who have left welfare.

Comparable State Findings:	Former Recipients
Percent employed at time of interview	58%
Mean/Median hourly wages	N/A
Percent receiving Food Stamps/Medicaid at time of interview	51% / 82%
Percent who felt better about their future after leaving welfare	85%
Percent receiving cash assistance in first year since exit	N/A

Employment & Income

78% of those surveyed said they had been employed at some point since leaving TANF.
The most commonly reported reasons for leaving TANF were employment (34%) and exceeding income eligibility (13%).
The average annual earnings among employed leavers increased over time. Administrative data shows average annual earnings increasing from $8,894 at the quarter of exit to $11,711 at the 4^th quarter after exit and to $13,759 at the 8^th quarter after case closing.
The most common self-reported barriers to employment were physical or mental illness (27%), lack of child care (14%), desire to stay home with children (14%), and lack of transportation (12%).

Other Supports

47% of leavers participated in the school lunch program, 36% received assistance from other state/local agencies, and 34% received fuel assistance through the Low Income Housing and Energy Assistance Program.
Among the survey respondents, 87% said that some or all of the members of their household had some type of medical coverage however, 13% said that no one in their household had medical coverage of any type.
51% of households surveyed reported using some form of child care. 38% of these households received child care subsidies and had average child care costs of $14 - $68 per week for pre-school children and $8 - $60 per week for older children.

Family Well-Being

After leaving welfare, 15% of respondents reported getting behind in rent or housing payments, 3% had to move because they could not pay for housing, 17% got behind in a utility bill and 9% had someone in their home who had unattended medical needs because they could not afford care.
10% reported experiencing a time when they could not afford to buy food after leaving welfare compared to 14% while on welfare and 8% who reported this condition both on-and off- welfare
While the majority (85%) of respondents felt more optimistic about their future after leaving welfare, 64% said they were still barely making it from day to day.
54% of leavers have (access to) a personal vehicle with an average cost of $11.17 per week compared to 33% who rely on public buses with an average cost of $16.60 per week.