Name of Report: Family Independence Program 2004 Annual Report: Providing Support for Low Income Rhode Island Families Welfare Reform in Rhode Island Under the Family Independence Act
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: March 1, 2004
Pages: 8 pages
Content Summary
This report outlines the status of the Family Independence Program (FIP) in the fiscal year 2003. The FY2003 is also the first year that many families became closed to FIP cash assistance due to the 60 month time limit imposed by the federal provision Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), although children may continue to receive aid past the 60 month deadline dependent on their parents' income. The report evaluates FIP in relation to its five major goals: to increase FIP family income through employment, to create a gradual decrease in the level of cash assistance to employed families, to create a gradual decrease in state expenditures in cash assistance for families, to reinvest cash assistance savings in health care, child care, education, literacy and skills training, and to enhance family cohesion and stability for children.
Major Findings
The number of families on FIP is 14,142 with 25% of those cases being child only. 93% of families are headed by one parent, with 76% of families having one or two children. 18% of families cite Spanish as their primary language. The racial/ethnic make up is White 40%, Black 15%, Latino 29% Asian 4% and Native 1% and Other/Not report stands at 11%. 53% of families have 12 th grade or higher level of education and 47% have less than 12 th grade education. There are 651 teen households with 32 living on their own. 7,668 families closed to FIP in 2003 and 3,935 of those cases were due to employment. The current caseload is the lowest in five years. There has been an increase in the budget allocation for ESL/GED/Literacy spending, making it 16% of the FY2004 budget.
Related Issues
This report is the first annual report to offer data on the Native American population; although because of lack of data there can be no comparison of change. There is still stagnancy amongst the Black community with percentage of Black FIP families still at 15% from 1997 to 2002 to 2003. The Latino community saw a drop of 1%. The Asian community remains at 4%. The White community, though tapering, still continues to drop with 2% less White families since 2002. Although there is a decrease in state expenditure and a reinvest in childcare subsidies, etc. the report cites concern that there are not enough social workers and that some people are reaching five year time limits without significant help. This is a further concern for people of color as they are not leaving FIP at the rate that White families are and are therefore likely to reach time limits without the possibility of coming back to FIP if there is another recession.
How to Access Report
The Rhode Island Department of Human Services; 600 New London Avenue , Cranston, RI 02920 ; Tel: 401-462-5300
http://
www.dhs.state.ri..us/dhs/reports/fip_2004.pdf