Multiple Impacts of Welfare Reform in Utah: Experiences of Former Long Term Welfare Recipients

This study of Utah's long-term welfare families represents a commitment by the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) to understand and document the situations of families as they reach the mandatory three-year lifetime limit for receipt of cash assistance. This study reflects transitions at both societal and individual levels. The long-term welfare recipients described were familiar with, and often dependent on, the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. Their experiences adjusting to TANF are in some ways unique to their cohort.