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Early Findings from a Longitudinal Study of TANF Applicant Families

Amy Dworsky
Institute for Research on Poverty
Social Sciences Building
1180 Observatory Drive
Madison WI 53706
608-265-0774
FAX: 608-265-3119
adworsky@ssc.wisc.edu

Irv Piliavin
Institute for Research on Poverty
Social Sciences Building
1180 Observatory Drive
Madison WI 53706
608-262-6379
piliavini@ssc.wisc.edu

Mark Courtney
Chapin Hall Center for Children
University of Chicago
Chicago IL
773-256-5162
COURTNEY-MARK@chc-smtp.spc.uchicago.edu

Although a number of welfare "leavers studies" have examined the outcomes of former AFDC and/or TANF families that are no longer receiving cash assistance, much less attention has been paid to the experiences of families that applied for assistance from their state's TANF program. This paper presents the findings from the first two waves of a three wave panel which examines the outcomes of nearly 1200 Wisconsin families that applied for assistance from Wisconsin Works or W-2, the TANF program in Wisconsin, between March and August of 1999. The first wave of survey data were collected from W-2 applicants at the time they applied for assistance at one of the five private agencies administering the state's TANF program in Milwaukee County. findings based on survey interviews with family representatives at the time they applied for entry into W-2; the second wave of data were collected approximately 15 to 18 months later. The paper examines the relationship between the demographic characteristics and background attributes of respondents and their families at Wave 1 and outcomes at Wave 2. It also compares (1) the experiences of applicant families that did participate in the W-2 program to those of applicant families that did not; and (2) the experiences of families that leave the W-2 program and those that continue to participate. Among the other issues the paper addresses are (1) the prevalence and effect of potential barriers to employment, including physical or mental disabilities, domestic violence, or substance abuse; (2) the occurrence of economic hardships; (3) changes in parent and child well-being; (4) cross agency variation in the program experiences of participant families in terms of services provided and outcomes experienced; and (5) involvement with the child welfare system including child protective services and out-of- home care placement.