Welfare

Posted on July 17, 2019 in Journal Article, tagged as Health, Low Income, Policy Implications, Social Assistance, Welfare, Wellness.

“The Caledon Institute of Social Policy committed to continue the data series following the demise of the National Council of Welfare in 2012. The figures presented in this report are based on the same methodology employed by the Council, thereby ensuring the integrity and comparability of the data series. The welfare incomes in this report represent the total amount that four typical households would receive over the course of a year. These households are: a single person considered employable, a single person with a disability, a single parent with one child age 2 and a couple with two children ages 10 and 15.
Total welfare incomes consist of the sum of two main components:
ï social assistance
ï provincial/territorial and federal child benefits as well as relevant provincial/territorial and federal tax credits.
It is important to note that the amounts shown for welfare represent the maximum paid for basic needs. Households may receive less if they derive income from other sources. Some households may be eligible for more than the amounts identified here if they have special health- or disability-related needs.”

Posted on July 17, 2019 in Journal Article, tagged as Policy, Policy Implications, Poverty, Training, Transitional Jobs, Welfare, Welfare to Work, Work supports.

The next step in welfare to work policy must include addressing the needs of particular places and populations based on what has been learned since welfare reform legislation was enacted in 1996. One of the important lessons learned is that transitional jobs arean especially promising policy response to the needs of hard-pressed urban and rural communities, and unemployed people facing barriers to work. Transitional jobs are wage paying, community service jobs for welfare recipients and other unemployed adults who have not been hired after a job search in the regular labor market. The jobs provide experience and employer references that improve chances of success in the job market and enable families to avoid destitution when welfare benefits end. While some policymakers have argued that working in a transitional job is no different from unpaid workfare, research shows that transitional job participants have better earnings and employment outcomes. Certainly, transitional jobs are more expensive because they include work supports, supervision and some training. The participants’ success, however, demonstrates the value of additional investment in targeted populations.