Welfare, Work and Raising Children: Conversations with Twenty-One Maine Families.

Five years after the massive overhaul of the nation's welfare system, 21 Maine families receiving public assistance spoke about their lives during welfare reform. The following were among the key themes that emerged throughout the conversations: (1) those leaving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) often remain poor or very nearly poor; (2) few employee benefits are available to families leaving TANF; (3) low wages mean that families leaving TANF can't make ends meet; (4) many of those leaving TANF experience minimal job advancement and unsteady employment; and (5) family income affects the environments in which children are raised and their access to health care, which, in turn, affects children's well being. The conversations also indicated that the following types of assistance provided to TANF leavers in Maine were having a positive impact: (1) transportation assistance; (2) help with childcare; (3) multiple-barrier programs designed to provide flexibility in meeting individual families' unique needs; (4) support for education; (5) increased food stamp access; and (5) increased access to the Medicaid program for both adults and children. The families' stories underscored the importance of ensuring that the system for delivering services to families leaving TANF is flexible enough to respond to individual families' needs and obstacles. (MN)