Out of Reach: Place, Poverty, and the New American Welfare State
Scott W. Allard
Abstract
Sweeping changes in welfare programs since 1996 have transformed the way America cares for its poor. Today, for every dollar spent on cash welfare payments, some twenty dollars are spent on service programs targeted at the working poor—job training, adult education, child care, emergency assistance, mental health care, and other social services. This book examines the current system in the United States and the crucial role that geography plays in the system's ability to offer help. Drawing on unique survey data from almost 1,500 faith-based and secular service organizations in three cities, t ... More
Sweeping changes in welfare programs since 1996 have transformed the way America cares for its poor. Today, for every dollar spent on cash welfare payments, some twenty dollars are spent on service programs targeted at the working poor—job training, adult education, child care, emergency assistance, mental health care, and other social services. This book examines the current system in the United States and the crucial role that geography plays in the system's ability to offer help. Drawing on unique survey data from almost 1,500 faith-based and secular service organizations in three cities, the book examines which agencies are most accessible to poor populations and looks at the profound impact of unstable funding on these agencies' assistance programs. The book argues that the new system has become less equitable and reliable, and it concludes with practical policy recommendations that address some of the more pressing issues in improving the safety net.
Keywords:
welfare programs,
poor,
America,
cash welfare payments,
working poor,
poor populations,
health care
Bibliographic Information
Print publication date: 2008 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780300120356 |
Published to Yale Scholarship Online: October 2013 |
DOI:10.12987/yale/9780300120356.001.0001 |