Poverty & Income Dynamics

Walter Hillabrant, Judy Earp, and Mack Rhoades Support Services International Nancy Pindus The Urban Institute, Inc.

American Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages have embraced the goals, objectives, and programs associated with welfare reform, but the lack of jobs limits the success of tribal programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Welfare-to-Work (WtW). The lack of jobs is one of the biggest problems in Indian Country.

The Welfare Indicators Act of 1994 requires the Department of Health and Human Services to prepare annual reports to Congress on indicators and predictors of welfare dependence.

Content Key Research Questions Data and Methods Key Findings Conclusions Endnotes

Content The Value of Hardship Measures Defining and Measuring Hardship Material Hardship Indexes Measuring Hardship Using the SIPP Unanswered Questions for Future Research  

This report analyzes the experiences of welfare "cyclers," a group that has received relatively little attention in previous research on welfare dynamics. For this study, "cycling" is defined as receipt of welfare benefits during three or more discrete spells during a four-year "observation" period.

By: Lashawn Richburg-Hayes and Stephen Freedman MDRC April 2004 Submitted to:U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

By: Fredrik Andersson, Julia Lane, Erika McEntarfer