Federal Court Makes Major Ruling on Ballot Verification in Pennsylvania
Jon Stewart's Skewering of Trump in New York Civil Fraud Cause Just Blew...
Did the Hosts of 'The View' Do Their Homework When They Invited This...
Actually, Kate Middleton Does Have a Body Double...Sort of
Checking the Black Box
Democrat Flips Republican District in Alabama Special Election. Here's What She Campaigned...
Here's What Trump Had to Say About RFK Jr.'s VP Pick
VDH Explains What Any 'Normal' President Would Do About Border That Would End...
Yes, a Terrorist Attack Is Coming to America
Americans Can Tell the Difference Between Rosy Economic Data and Reality
An Illegal Alien Encouraged Others to Invade American Homes. Here's What Happened Next.
Time For Another Bizarre, Easily-Disprovable Lie From Joe Biden
Did Jamaal Bowman Just Help His Primary Challenger?
Fani Willis Calls Jim Jordan's Investigation Into Her Office 'Politically Motivated'
Tyson Foods Fires U.S. Workers, Exploits Illegal Aliens for Profits
Tipsheet

Report: Georgia Families On Welfare Down By Two-Thirds Since 2006

AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ben Gray

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that welfare spending in the state has dropped by more than $55 million since 2006 as more and more families are able to find meaningful employment after various reforms at both the state and national level have encouraged citizens to find a job rather than stay on government assistance. 

Advertisement

According to Maya T. Prabahu, the number of Georgia families on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program -- aka TANF -- has plummetted from the monthly average of 33,302 in 2006 to the monthly average of 10,159 households in 2018. 

Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services said the numbers indicate that the program is working as it should.

"Many at our smallest level of income get $155 (a month),” Jon Anderson, the head of DFCS’ Office of Family Independence told the AJC. “Some people look at that and say, ‘I can make more working full time than TANF would bring into my household,’ and make the decision to go to work.”

As the AJC reports, many of these improvements are thanks to reforms made in the 1990s at the national level which allowed states more control over their welfare program: 

Since Congress passed sweeping changes to the welfare program in 1996, the number of households receiving benefits has consistently dropped across the country. Changes implemented in the ’90s gave states more control over how to run welfare, which has long been politically stigmatized. That, in turn, resulted in fewer households across the country receiving benefits.

However, critics of the program say that just because more families are off of welfare, does not mean poverty is being alleviated in the state. 

Advertisement

Georgia State professor Fred Brooks told AJC, "Most people who qualify for welfare don’t even think about applying for it. Studies show that people don’t think they can apply for it."

But, he did acknowledge that "The No. 1 reason that people left TANF is because they found a job — and the system is set up to do exactly that. 

“Everyone I interviewed had collected a check for a while, but there was consistent pressure or incentive (through the state requirements) to get off of TANF and get a job," he added. 

However, as of 2017, data shows that poverty has indeed steadily declined in Georgia which could arguably be tied to the state's declining unemployment rate. "Unemployment climbed to 10.6% in 2010, but 755,000 jobs have since been created and the rate had fallen to 3.7% by May," the AJC notes. 

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement