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Work First Program Earns Federal Money
North Carolina has been awarded $8.2 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the success of the Work First program in getting jobs for welfare recipients.
“Welfare recipients in North Carolina are leaving welfare for work,” said E.C. “Chip” Modlin, director of the N.C. Division of Social Services. “It’s good to be recognized for a job well done, but the state can’t take all or even most of the credit. We’ve had tremendous support from the business community and a lot of hard work in all 100 counties.”
Earlier articles in The Pilot have described the success of the Work First program in Moore County.
North Carolina was one of 28 states to get high-performance bonuses as a reward for superior results in welfare reform. The $200 million in annual bonuses, established in the 1996 welfare reform law, are given to the states with the best achievement in moving parents on welfare into jobs and the parents’ success in staying employed and increasing their earnings.
The bonus recognizes the state’s improvement in placing welfare recipients in jobs. Since Work First began, 80,000 families have left welfare for work. North Carolina now has 45,381 families on welfare, down from 113,485 when Work First began in 1995.
The money will be used to help low-income working families be successful, with help paying for child care, transportation, substance abuse counseling and short-term job training.
“Now that we’ve moved so many families off welfare, Work First can help them stay off,” Modlin said. “Job entry is the first step, but there is still much to be done to help families be strong and successful.”
North Carolina studies of former welfare recipients show that recent Work First graduates earn an average of $2,872 a quarter and that their earnings increase an average of 27 percent after two years. Eighteen percent of families who leave Work First for two years earn $5,000 or more a quarter.
The federal block grant that pays for Work First, called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, is up for reauthorization by Congress this year and will be a key factor in sustaining the success of Work First.
North Carolina’s Work First program is breaking the cycle of welfare by requiring work and personal responsibility. Work First eases the transition into the work force through help with transportation, child care and short-term job training. Families in a crisis that might have landed them on welfare are given short-term help. Children are protected with health insurance, child-care subsidies and family support services.
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