@inbook{b1435f6b1fd346789e343da4b0371047,
title = "Welfare agencies and assistance. United states",
abstract = "This article describes the evolution of the US housing assistance system, key elements of the housing assistance system for the poor, and of the welfare system. It then examines the interrelationship between these two systems, highlighting the ways in which they are in alignment and the areas in which they may be working at cross-purposes. It also provides an overview of research findings on the effects of welfare on housing assistance recipients. It concludes with suggestions for future research. {\textcopyright} 2012",
keywords = "Housing, Housing vouchers, Public housing, Self-sufficiency, Time limits, Welfare, Welfare reform",
author = "Newman, {S. J.}",
note = "Funding Information: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), the predecessor of TANF, was the central safety net programme providing cash assistance to poor families with children, from 1936 until 1996 ( Scholz et al., 2009 ). The programme was jointly funded by the states and the federal government, with the states determining the generosity of their benefits and the federal government providing a matching grant. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996, commonly referred to as welfare reform, eliminated AFDC and replaced it with TANF. Under TANF, the federal government dramatically reduced its role in this income assistance programme. It reduced its funding contribution, and now provides a fixed dollar amount through a block grant to the states but no longer matches each state{\textquoteright}s spending. The federal government has also substantially withdrawn from setting and enforcing the specific design and administrative features of the programme. However, it established two fundamental requirements that were designed to {\textquoteleft}change welfare as we know it{\textquoteright}, the phrase used by former President Clinton to describe the goal of welfare reform. These requirements are a 5-year time limit on welfare benefits, and a mandate that recipients engage in work-related activities. States have the discretion to set tougher rules, but can also be more lenient as long as they rely on their own funding. Thus, some states have imposed 2-year time limits, while others allow extensions beyond the federally set 5-year limit. The reauthorisation of TANF in 2005 maintained many features of the programme but imposed more stringent work requirements. Copyright: Copyright 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",
year = "2012",
doi = "10.1016/B978-0-08-047163-1.00417-3",
language = "English (US)",
isbn = "9780080471716",
pages = "261--266",
booktitle = "International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home",
publisher = "Elsevier",
}