IT TAKES ONE STEP AT A TIME
A question that has been central to welfare reauthorization is how many hours
and in what kinds of activities families who receive TANF should be required to
participate each week. To understand the implications of this debate, we must
consider the kinds of situations families on welfare today are facing and the
extent that those situations limit their ability to work. Why are so many
families unable to move right into full-time jobs? What would help these parents
reach their full economic potential while allowing them the time necessary to
care for their children and overcome obstacles to full-time employment? What
steps come first, then next, in overcoming their obstacles? Sherry's schedule,
on the previous page, helps us to imagine how responding to the needs of special
needs children can dominate a parent's day.
Over the past five years, most parents who were able to find full-time work
have left TANF - the economy was good and jobs were available. Today, in the
declining economy, even those families without barriers to work report that
finding full-time employment is hard. Many employers prefer to hire employees on
part-time status. And part-time workers say that they find it difficult to get
second jobs because part-time-work schedules are often inconsistent and
unreliable. Further, those who do find jobs in many Maine towns report that they
are offered only second or third shift jobs, for which childcare is often
impossible to locate. It's a tough labor market, even for parents on TANF with
few obstacles to work.
The situation for families facing barriers to work is even more challenging.
Most families who receive TANF today face many obstacles that must be overcome
before full-time work can be a reality. A recent national study revealed that
17% of current TANF recipients face three or more significant obstacles to
employment, while 27% faced two, and 34% faced one.8 According to a recent
survey of Maine families receiving TANF, the most common obstacles include the
following:
 | Serious health problems. An
astounding 52% of Maine families responding to the survey who
were currently receiving TANF reported a health problem that was
serious enough to limit the kind or amount of work a parent
could do. Two-thirds of families who received TANF continuously
from 1997 until 2001 and who were not working had a member with
a health problem that limited the parent's ability to work. 9 In
a national study among low-income workers who were caring for a
disabled child, 15% were spending more than the equivalent of a
40-hour workweek per month on that care.10
|
| Domestic violence. Almost 1
in 5 (19%) respondents to the survey acknowledged experiencing
abuse from a spouse or partner within the last four years.11
|
| Inadequate childcare. Nearly
1 in 4 (18%) of unemployed workers receiving TANF left their
most recent job at least in part due to an inability to find
adequate and affordable childcare.12 This problem is especially
severe for parents of special needs children.
|
| Unreliable transportation.
More than one-third (38%) of families receiving TANF went
without any transportation for over a month during the past
year. Further, nearly 1 in 5 (19%) of unemployed parents
receiving TANF had left their most recent job due to a lack of
reliable transportation.13
|
| Lack of education. About 1
in 5 (19%) families had less than a high school diploma. Among
those families, only 1 in 3 was employed. Those who were
employed had a median wage of only $6.30 per hour. 14 |
|
These problems have a major impact on the
day-to-day functioning of these families, and make it far more difficult for
them to obtain or sustain employment with earnings sufficient for their
families to subsist. Further, due to the depth of their poverty, these
parents simply do not have resources to overcome obstacles to work. Meeting
the unpredictable needs of children, repairing or replacing a broken
vehicle, or even addressing the simple daily requirements of childcare and
school can be impossible without resources.15 A recent national study finds
that single parents with a high school education or less who are living in
poverty need to take more than two weeks away from work during a 3-month
period to attend to the needs of their children. This is five times greater
than for a comparable group of parents who were not poor. 16
The burdens on these parents often make it
impossible to meet the current TANF requirement to participate in Maine's
ASPIRE program for 30 hours a week. The choices are often unimaginable -
should a parent stay home with a child who needs medication and special care
and risk missing work and losing pay as well as TANF benefits? For those
battling the scars of domestic violence, or dealing with substance abuse or
depression, or who cannot read or write, it is often an insurmountable
challenge to meet work requirements without first getting help for these
problems. Families with resources are able to access the services they need
to get them back on track when faced with a personal issue or life crisis.
Families without resources have nowhere to turn. For many, just keeping
their children safe and healthy consumes much of the day. As parents
describe in the following stories, their children must be their first
priority.
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