The Need For A Holistic Approach With Single Moms
Under the William Jefferson Clinton Administration, Welfare Reform underwent major changes in 1996, when it comes to the aim and goal of public assistance to needy families, primarily single mothers with children. Prior to 1996, the federal program Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) gave financial assistance to families for an indefinite period of time (Welfare 1). However, in 1996, welfare reform legislation was enacted that made sweeping changes in this kind of public assistance. Known in lay terms as welfare-to-work reform, a new program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was approved by legislators (Welfare 1). This program provides financial assistance for a specified period of time. The major emphasis behind TANF is putting those who receive cash assistance to work as quickly as possible. Before the creation of TANF, those who received welfare assistance were seen as welfare queens, mothers who were viewed as lazy and would prefer having children and staying home while receiving a government welfare check. The results of TANF have been successful in moving many single mothers from welfare to gainful employment. Yet, a new challenge has arisen in regard to these single moms who now work and play by the rules. There is a growing number of these working mothers who represent and underclass who may be working and playing by the rules, but whose lack of education, skills, child care, and health care doom them to a life of poverty with little chance for advancement “The massive shift from government assistance to jobs is a huge national success. But eliminating welfare as we know it hasn’t eliminated poverty. It has raised some interesting questions about a new generation of poverty in America: Are all these people moving off welfare—mostly women—entering the work force with such poor employment and educational skills that they have ...