Report CalWORKs in Transition By Caroline Danielson Mar 20, 2012 In recent years, California policymakers have made a number of cuts to major safety net programs to help balance the state budget—even as hard economic times have meant that increasing numbers of Californians are relying on government assistance. The California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program (CalWORKs) has been one of the most affected.1 Since 2009, CalWORKs has seen a number of cuts, some intended to be short-lived, and others that, arguably, are reshaping the program piece by piece. In his January 2012 budget proposal, Governor Brown advocated significant additional cuts. These recent and proposed changes raise questions about the program’s goals going forward.
Report Sanctions and Time Limits in California’s Welfare Program By Deborah Reed, Caroline Danielson Apr 6, 2009 In an effort to boost the share of adults on welfare who work, the state has considered proposals to further reduce or eliminate payments to those receiving aid through CalWORKs—the state's welfare program for needy families—who don't work or seek work. This report examines possible effects of these stricter sanctions. The findings suggest that in general, the state's work participation rate could rise, the welfare caseload could shrink, and the poverty rate among children would not be greatly affected if stricter sanctions were adopted.
Report What Happens to Families When They Leave Welfare? By Thomas E. MaCurdy, Margaret O’Brien-Strain, Grecia Marrufo Sep 12, 2003 More than 1.4 million people left California's welfare rolls between August 1996 and September 2001. Although this dramatic decline in the caseload in the early years following welfare reform was seen by some as heralding the triumph of the new rules, others saw it as an alarm bell regarding the well-being of former welfare recipients. This report presents the findings of telephone surveys conducted in the late 1990s among one-parent and two parent families approximately 6 months and 12 months after they left welfare. The report presents snapshots of how well these families are doing during each of these periods, describing the families' economic security, use of public assistance, and difficulties encountered in maintaining employment and coping with adverse conditions. In addition to comparing circumstances over time, the report also identifies factors that might predict a return to welfare and other poor outcomes for families.
Report Does California’s Welfare Policy Explain the Slower Decline of Its Caseload? By Thomas E. MaCurdy, Margaret O’Brien-Strain, David C. Mancuso Jan 1, 2002 Since Congress enacted welfare reform in 1996, states have had more flexibility in designing their own welfare programs. With this flexibility has come an increased interest in accountability at the state level. Although California’s caseload rate fell 43 percent between 1996 and 2000, that decline lags the national average. This report examines the variation in recipiency rates among the five largest states both before and after the welfare reforms of 1996. Its authors find that between 1989 and 1996, economic and demographic factors accounted for most of the variation in welfare recipiency rates; after 1996, however, policy decisions at the state level were the most important factor in explaining caseload variations.
press release Multi State Employer Survey Finds Robust Demand For Welfare Recipients That Could Disappear In Downturn Jan 25, 2001
press release Surprising Surge In “Child-Only” Cases Slows Decline In California’s Welfare Rolls Jun 22, 2000
