In 1999 the Alliance for Children and Families launched Faces of Change: Welfare Reform in America in collaboration with the Community Service Society of New York. During Phase I, the study collected 218 first-hand accounts of current and former welfare recipients affected by welfare reform. The policy analysis that is set forth in Welfare Policy Through the Lens of Personal Experience is based on our study of those stories. 

The full analysis includes chapters on employment, job training, child care, health care, public benefits and transportation. The W. K. Kellogg Foundation has provided generous support for the present publication.

Praise for Welfare Policy Through the Lens of Personal Experience

"This excellent book tells the real stories behind the statistics of welfare reform. It takes a systematic look at the gap between the rhetoric of success and the reality of an inadequate safety net for our neediest families. Anyone who wants to know how welfare reform is really working should read this book."--Alan Weil, Director, Assessing the New Federalism Project The Urban Institute

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Preview Chapter 1 online here. [.PDF]
This single chapter examines the employment situation of current and former welfare recipients and the impact of the 1996 welfare reform law.
 

Faces of Change: Personal Experiences of Welfare Reform in America contains first-hand accounts from 100 current and former welfare recipients detailing their experience in six primary areas: employment, child care, public benefits, health care, job training and transportation.

Their narratives reveal the impact of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 on the lives of low-income individuals and their families.

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Preview the Introduction online here.