Name of Report: Beyond Expectations: Family Independence Program 2003 Annual Report Welfare Reform in Rhode Island Under the Family Independence Act 1997-2002
Organizational affiliation: Rhode Island Department of Human Services
Publisher: Rhode Island Department of Human Services
Contact Information: Jayne A. Hayward, Director; 600 New London Avenue , Cranston , RI 02920 ; Tel: 401-462-5300 www.dhs.state.ri.us
Date: 2002
Pages: 9 pages
Content Summary
This report outlines the status of the Family Independence Program (FIP) in the fiscal year 2002. The defining features of the Family Independence Act include: financial assistance for the first 24 months of the employment plan to allow for parents' education and training, minor parents are required to live at home or in an adult supervised setting in order to receive assistance, minor parents are assisted, encouraged and required to complete high school.
Major Findings
Through the FIP, the average wage at job entry increased from $6.25/hour in April 1997 to $7.89/hour in April 2002. Those who had post-secondary or vocational education as part of FIP plan earned an average wage of $10.31/hour. There was an increase in the number of families working and a decrease in monthly cash benefits. There's been a major increase in child-care subsidies to allow parents to go to work. There is a higher percentage of families that already working entering FIP plans. FIP spends $1.4 million or 13% of its support services budget on literacy/ESL/GED programs. Rhode Island has received federal bonuses for its accomplishments.
Related Issues
This report does not go into the detail that other FIP annual reports go through. None of the data is aggregated by race and ethnicity. Although the program is obviously helping the state to get more people into the workforce and lower monthly cash benefits there is no way of knowing whether people of color are being equally treated under the program. The 2002 report acknowledges that while numbers of White families under the program have decreased, the percentage of Black families has remained stagnant and the number of Latino families has increased; the 2003 report does not address this. There is a considerable amount of money being spent on ESL/GED/literacy programs but there is no data about enrollment in these classes and frequency of attendance. Families of color, in particular, would benefit from these classes. There is also no data about the types of jobs that people are entering. According to a special report examining how the recent recession has affected people of color, people of color are more likely to enter low paying, unskilled jobs which are hit hardest at times of recession. Therefore, it is important to note what jobs people of color are entering.
How to access report
The Rhode Island Department of Human Services; 600 New London Avenue , Cranston , RI 02920 ; Tel: 401-462-5300