In this paper, the authors examine the extent of substance use, abuse, and dependence disorders among respondents from the Women's Employment Study, women receiving welfare in 1997 and 2003. Substance use and dependence was found to co-occur with a variety of issues, including housing stability, domestic violence, work behavior, and financial stability.

A Look at State Welfare Reform Efforts to Address Substance Abuse is an eight-State case study that examines different State and county strategies in serving TANF recipients with substance abuse problems. This year-long comparative case study was commissioned by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) to document efforts underway to address substance abuse as a barrier to employment.

Five years after the passage of the welfare reform law, States have achieved unprecedented declines in their welfare caseloads. However, one of the most prominent roadblocks that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) clients face to a successful transition to employment is substance abuse. This fact sheet provides an overview of of important strategies to building the system infrastructure to address substance abuse issues for TANF recipients.

This report summarizes the key issues and lessons learned at the joint ACF and SAMHSA national conference, Welfare Reform: Employment Strategies for Overcoming Substance Abuse/Mental Health Barriers, held in Reno, Nevada, on July 26-27, 2000.

Authored by Amy Brown. This series of reports, as part of the Aspen Institute's Economic Opportunities Program and funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, explore various lessons learned from innovative approaches to EITC campaigns. The series covers pilot projects, financial literacy in the workplace, connecting asset building to Workforce Development One-Stops, market research and asset development strategies, partnering with commercial tax preparation firms, and using technology.

This study explores the relationship between TANF and WIA programs in aiding TANF recipients and achieving the goals of each program. By conducting site visits, the coordination of TANF and WIA was assessed to identify how the low-income population is best served to promote self-sufficiency.

Child abuse and domestic violence often co-occur in families, and such data has led child welfare programs to re-evaluate service delivery protocols for families. This article reviews Family to Family Grantee experiences and offers guidance on how to better serve families in the child welfare system facing domestic violence issues as well.

Because many welfare recipients reaching time limits face barriers to employment, Minnesota implemented the Minnesota Integrated Service Project (ISP). This project aims at improving service delivery to clients who would benefit from multiple systems working together to address their needs. From the Urban Institute, this article reviews the implementation of integrating services to improve outcomes for low-income families in Minnesota.

From the National Center for Children in Poverty, this speech by author and policy expert Lisbeth Schorr outlines challenges and opportunities in creating systems change. Schorr offered lessons and recommendation for how to improve service delivery through networking to increase positive outcomes for children and families.

This brief, from the Urban-Brookings Policy Center, reviews the impact of a minimum wage increase, and considers raising federal tax credits as a substitute. Authors rationalize the possibility of increasing tax credits such as the EITC, and conclude that this would prove to be costly and infeasible.