Federal Welfare Reform: The Experience of Welfare Recipients Approaching Their Five Year Time Limit

Community Voices Heard (CVH) is a membership organization of low-income individuals working together to build the power of families, communities, and low-income people throughout New York City. This organization, largely composed of former and current welfare recipients, seeks to have an impact through the creation of a comprehensive public policy agenda. In addition, CVH employs a community organizing strategy to address issues of self-determination, family preservation, and economic opportunity. The Capstone team was asked to examine the experiences of New York City welfare recipients approaching their five year time limit on federal welfare. The Capstone team focused on what additional assistance low-income families received and obstacles they encountered through their interaction with the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA). Further, the Capstone team determined whether these families are being prepared for self-sufficiency outside the social welfare system. The Capstone team: 1) designed and administered a Welfare Time Limits Survey; 2) conducted interviews with selected welfare survey participants; 3) synthesized and analyzed data from the surveys and interviews; and 4) made recommendations with respect to CVH’s future policy agenda and HRA’s practices and facilities.