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Welfare Reform: Unintended Consequences for Utah Counties

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Welfare Reform: Unintended Consequences for Utah Counties CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION University of Utah WELFARE REFORM INITIATIVE Welfare Reform: Unintended Consequences for Utah Counties Authors: Shirley A. Weathers, Ph.D. William P. Walsh, Jr. Walsh & Weathers Research and Policy Studies with Hillary Diamond, Graduate Research Assistant Center for Public Policy and Administration Project Staff: Center for Public Policy and Administration James J. Gosling, Director and Professor of Political Science Laurie N. DiPadova, Policy Fellow and Principal Investigator Sara McCormick, Project Specialist Sopon Permpoonwiwat, Graduate Intern Thrasher Research Fund Victor Brown, President and CEO Financial supporters of this project and report: Salt Lake County Government/Community Development Block Grant Utah Association of Counties Financial supporters of CPPA===s Welfare Reform Initiative: Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Humanitarian Service Holy Cross Ministries IHC Foundation Intermountain Health Care, Mission Services Thrasher Research Fund Utah Department of Human Services Utah Department of Workforce Services COPYRIGHT 8 2000 by the Center for Public Policy and Administration Center for Public Policy and Administration Welfare Reform Initiative Advisory Committee Pamela Atkinson, IHC Mission Services Amanda Barusch, Social Research Institute, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Utah Victor Brown, Thrasher Research Fund Laurie DiPadova, Center for Public Policy & Administration, University of Utah Jim Gosling, Center for Public Policy & Administration, University of Utah Garth Mangum, Department of Economics, University of Utah Sara McCormick, Center for Public Policy & Administration, University of Utah Roz McGee, Utah Children Lloyd Pendleton, Humanitarian Service, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Pam Perlich, Demographic & Economic Analysis, Governor's Office of Planning & Budget, State of Utah Ross Reeve, Demographic & Economic Analysis, Governor's Office of Planning & Budget, State of Utah Thayne Robson, Bureau of Economic & Business Research, University of Utah Kerry Steadman, Salt Lake County Department of Human Services Mary Jane Taylor, Social Research Institute, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Utah Bill Walsh, Walsh & Weathers Research & Policy Studies Shirley Weathers, Walsh & Weathers Research & Policy Studies Cathy Zick, Family & Consumer Studies, University of Utah TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ... ..................................................................................................................... v Abbreviations .......... .................................................................................................................... vi Prioritized Recommendations by Responsible Entity .......................................................vii Executive Summary ....................................................................................Executive Summary 1 I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 9 III. Findings ............................................................................................................................... 11 Who is responsible for families with dependent children enrolled in the Family Employment Program after time limits take effect? ........................................... 11 In your program service area, what will your agency do if there is increased demand for services? ....................................................................................... 14 Agency prospects of increasing resources to meet increased need.................................. 16 If the economy worsens, how will your program be likely to respond? .......................... 17 Critical shortages of resources needed for self-sufficiency ............................................. 18 Specific federal or state welfare policy concerns ............................................................ 19 Implementation concerns ................................................................................................ 22 IV. Key problem areas and possible recommendations for solutions ................................... 27 Selected References .................................................................................................................... 37 Appendix A: Selected profiles of Utah===s twenty-nine counties .............................................. 39 Appendix B: National Association of Counties Human Services and Education Steering Committee Resolutions.................................................................................. 45 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Center for Public Policy and Administration conducted focus groups regarding welfare reform in the summer of 1999. Thirty-six county elected and appointed officials across the state attended. Without question, we owe these people an enthusiastic expression of thanks. Our promise of anonymity prevents us from naming them, but that does not diminish our gratitude. We would also like to acknowledge the following individuals who assisted us with possible names for focus group invitation lists: Judy Kasten Bell, Nancy Bentley, Barbara Dougherty, Linda Hilton, Beth Cottam, and Jolaine Randall. These focus groups would not have taken place without the interest and help of Kerry Steadman, Director of Salt Lake County Human Services Department. We thank him for his time, advice, and inspiration for this project. We also express our appreciation to Salt Lake County government, which provided Community Development Block Grant funds to the Center for Public Policy and Administration=s Welfare Reform Initiative to research the impact of welfare reform on counties in Utah. v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ABAWD Able-bodied Adults Without Dependents (Policy) AFDC Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Program) CHIP Child Health Insurance Program DWS Utah Department of Workforce Services FEP Family Employment Program GA General Assistance (Program) PRWORA Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act SRI Social Research Institute SSDI Social Security Disability Income SSI Supplemental Security Income (Program) TANF Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Program) UAC Utah Association of Counties vi PRIORITIZED RECOMMENDATIONS BY RESPONSIBLE ENTITY The Welfare Reform Initiative of the Center for Public Policy and Administration (CPPA), under contract with Salt Lake County, conducted focus groups of country elected and appointed officials in the five Department of Workforce Services (DWS) regions in July and August 1999 and presents findings in the current report, Welfare Reform: Unintended Consequences for Utah Counties. At the request of the funder, researchers synthesized problem statements and, utilizing respondent information and, in consultation with key county and DWS officials, developed recommendations for solutions. Not surprisingly, that exercise yielded suggestions for actions by a number of different entities in the state, as well as those on the national level. Below are the recommendations, grouped by entity to which they are addressed and placed in priority order by CPPA, which in part reflects the relative immediacy of the recommendation. Where a recommendation indicates a joint action by two or more entities, it appears in the section for each of those entities. A more detailed discussion of problems and their corresponding recommendations can be found in the body of this report. County government entities Near-term actions Recommendation #2: That County Commissioners redouble their efforts to attend and participate in Regional Workforce Services Council meetings to ensure that they are part of the monitoring and decision-making process. Recommendation #1: That the Utah Association of Counties (UAC) work with the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) to increase Regional Workforce Services Council authority to facilitate broader-based local planning, problem-identification, problem-solving, and implementation of policies and practices. Recommendation #26: That DWS collaborate with local and state entities to develop special job preparation and transitional skill developing projects in counties and areas such as Indian Reservations where unemployment rates are significantly above the statewide average. DWS should take advantage of local flexibility granted by PRWORA to make decisions based on local circumstances and cultural realities. vii Longer-term actions Recommendation #25: That individual county commissioners in high unemployment areas of the state become involved in working with DWS Employment Centers and private sector employers to address unique situations facing FEP families and other needy individuals. This should include seeking ways within the work first environment for clients to obtain training for existing jobs. Recommendation #22: That UAC work with the Department of Community and Economic Development to encourage a substantial increase in the affordable housing stock throughout the state. Recommendation #3: That the UAC Health and Human Services Committee review the Family Employment Program State Plan and identify possible ways for county commissioners and/or county service providers to work with DWS to maximize program performance and customize program operation to local needs and circumstances.
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