Name of Report: Rhode Island 's Family Independence Program Annual Report, 2001
Organizational affiliation: Rhode Island Department of Human Services
Publisher: Rhode Island Department of Human Services
Contact Information: Christine C. Ferguson, Director; 600 New London Avenue , Cranston , RI 02920 ; Tel: 401-462-5300
Date: 2001
Pages: 23 pages; pages 2-19 numbered
Content Summary
This report describes the genesis and implementation of the Family Independence Program (FIP), Rhode Island 's current financial assistance program for low-income families, which was developed after the federal welfare program Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and was replaced with the federal provision Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Replacing AFDC with TANF, allowed the state of Rhode Island to draft its own program under the Family Independence Act, FIP. The purpose of the program is to encourage families to work while on financial assistance as well as to help adults get the education and training they need to sustain their occupations. This program has been in effect in Rhode Island since 1997 and this report is the first major evaluation of the program since it's inception.
Major Findings
Since May 1997, the Department of Human Services saw a gradual decline in their caseload resulting in 15.2% less cases over the four years with 50% of the decrease occurring since January 2000. There was also a decline in those cycling back on to FIP from 19.7% in April 1997 to 7.6% in April 2000. State and Federal expenditure decreased in the fiscal year 2000 and has been steadily decreasing since 1994.
Related Issues
This report does not have much data that relates to the people who are on FIP, instead it is mainly related to the success of the program on the whole. The report does show that FIP is helping the families of Rhode Island but it also raises some questions. Because the provisions of TANF only allow families to receive financial assistance for a total of 60 months, what is happening to families who are currently or have had to end their financial assistance? Also, which families tend to cycle off of FIP and are more minority families cycling back onto FIP in comparison to their White counterparts?
How to access report
The Rhode Island Department of Human Services; 600 New London Avenue , Cranston , RI 02920 ; Tel: 401-462-5300