Twenty Years after Welfare Reform CWEE is a Beacon of Hope

 

It is hard to believe that this month marks the 20th anniversary since Congress passed the "welfare reform" act creating Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).  President Clinton signed the controversial legislation on August 22, 1996 to "end welfare as we know it", replacing the long standing entitlement program Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).   It was an unprecedented change in federal policy creating a massive new block grant that went directly to the states to create and administer a unique state plan with very little oversight from the federal government.

 

I was the Director of CWEE during this time and there were so many unknowns about this dramatic and confusing new environment that would become the reality for the single parents we served.  And there were no immediate answers about how we as a provider of essential education and training, confidence building and employment services could operate within the provisions of the law.   I joined a broad coalition of advocates, child care providers, faith groups and the governor's staff to form a working group led by then State Senator Mike Coffman to draw up Colorado's plan over the next 6 months.  We met regularly to design what became Colorado Works, our state TANF plan, that eventually was passed by our legislature in 1997.

 

There were some positive aspects with the new law including the opportunity for single parents to seek out job readiness, education and employment programs to assist them in becoming the provider for their families and child care assistance was provided along with other essential support services.  CWEE was able to position our years of experience and expertise in serving this population with several metro counties and continues to provide services to the TANF population through fee for service contracts.  CWEE saw gains initially with positive placements as the economy remained strong but the ups and downs of employment trends made it difficult to sustain success for all of our students, especially those with hardship needs such as mental health, domestic violence, criminal backgrounds, etc.  

 

There were gaps with the initial law and damaging regulations that have worsened the effectiveness of TANF over the years.  Some states have imposed harsh time limits for receipt of support and the state's block grant budget has never been increased over the 20 years with a decline in resources by 33 percent due to inflation.  Total caseloads have declined dramatically but there has not been a decrease in poverty.

 

CWEE's unique model providing comprehensive services to change the lives of single parents with children continues to shine as an example of an exemplary program working with TANF.   Through our collaborative partnerships with employers, community organizations, the county departments of human services, foundations and private philanthropy we have succeeded in launching the transformation of several hundreds of low income families each year.  Please see the extraordinary outcomes with our participants over the past 12 months in this newsletter to understand the outstanding impact that CWEE is making after 20 years of welfare reform.  CWEE is a beacon of hope for the TANF participants we serve.