Name of Report: Rhode Island 's Family Independence Act: Research Demonstrates Wisdom of Putting Families First
Organizational Affiliation(s): United Way of Southern New England; Rhode Island Department of Human Services; Welfare Reform Research Project at Rhode Island College School of Social Work
Author: Anne Marshall Christner, Ph.D. (independent consultant) and Welfare Reform Implementation Task Force Sub-Committee
Date: February 2002
Pages: 39 pages numbered I-IX and 1-30
Content Summary
This report is an in-depth look into the progress of the Family Independence Act (FIA) and its corresponding program the Family Independence Program (FIP). The report evaluates the FIP was implemented, the employment outcomes and economic status of FIP families as well as those who had ended FIP while the report was researched. The report also looks at indicators of child and family well being such as medical well-being, parent satisfaction, family instability as indicated by the number of children in foster care. In addition, the report looks at federal and state expenditure and the caseload of the Department of Human Services since implementation of FIP.
Major Findings
In terms of state and federal expenditure, there was a 61.3% reduction in state expenditure from FY1997 to FY2002. Employment outcomes have been mixed with some families cycling off and back onto FIP due to a number of factors including the health of the Rhode Island economy, low-wage jobs, limitations in transportation and the high cost of housing. The FIP demographics show that although there has been a decline in the number of people receiving state financial aid overall the number of people of color receiving FIP has remained stagnant or increased, with the number of Black beneficiaries remaining at 15% from 1997 to 2001 and the number of Hispanic families increasing 3% from 27% to 30% in the same time period. The Asian community saw a drop of 1% from 5% to 4% and there is no data for Native peoples. The significant decrease in FIP families occurred in the White community going from 52% to 42%. Although the majority of FIP families are one-parent households (76%) there was a 5% increase in child only households, currently standing at 18% with two-parent household only accounting for 6% of FIP families.
The report also notes that higher earnings are associated with families that have the following characteristics, being older, being Asian or White, being able bodied, completing high school, speaking a language other than English or Spanish at home, not being a U.S. citizen or having smaller families. In addition, families that enjoy a higher probability of being employed have the following characteristics: being older, being Black, being able bodied, speaking English, having high school diploma, being in smaller households, having no other disabled household members, or not being a U.S. citizen. Therefore, Blacks are more likely to be employed but earning lower wages than others. Also, non-U.S. citizens who speak English and/or a language other than Spanish are at a higher advantage than those Spanish-speaking immigrants. Also of important note is that those who are on FIP say that they are less satisfied with their quality of life than those who have cycled off citing children's behavioral and mental problems and school attendance as a continuing concern.
Related Issues
This report is pretty comprehensive in understanding the demography of the FIP although it lacks data on the Native community as well as further data on the demography of the program in relation to medical care and job retention. It would be important to note how often people of color are cycling on and off of FIP and why. Also, there is no reasoning provided for why Blacks are more likely to obtain jobs but not receive wages equal to their counterparts. There is also no discussion of the stagnancy and growth of FIP cases among the community of color. The report also mentions that in the few months and years following the report many families will be forced to end the program in compliance with TANF's stipulation that no family can receive federal aid after a 60-month period, that will bear significant impact on the Black and Latino communities as they are particularly prone to low-wage earning job opportunities.
How to Access Report
The Rhode Island Department of Human Services; 600 New London Avenue , Cranston , RI 02920 ; Tel: 401-462-5300