Contributing Writer
Although the number of Illinois families on welfare has dropped significantly in the last five years, there has not been a corresponding increase in employment, according to a new Illinois Families Study headed by Northwestern professors.
The report, “The Two Worlds of Welfare Reform in Illinois,” found that Illinois welfare reform has created two groups of former welfare families — those who have found steady employment and those who haven’t.
“The new social contract created by the reform has only been half delivered,” said Dan Lewis, a professor of human policy and social development at NU.
Lewis headed the study along with professors from Northern Illinois University, Roosevelt University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Their findings covered nine Illinois counties, including Cook County.
“Studies have shown that welfare reform has been very successful,” Lewis said. “This study shows that it comes at a cost for those unable or unwilling to engage in labor market participation.”
Although work rates among those interviewed remained steady from 1999-2003, the study shows that those receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families have declined by more than 40 percent.
Welfare reform has also created some positive results, according to the study. Those who had work generally found that their employment rate was stable, and homelessness among working families dropped to 3 percent from 7 percent.
Working families also reported an increased amount of worker-provided health insurance and a decrease in depressive symptoms.
Prof. James H. Lewis of Roosevelt University in Chicago, who also participated in the study, said welfare reform can be looked at in two ways — reducing the number of people on welfare or providing those below the poverty line with solutions.
“If you look at the first way, it’s been successful, and it’s not an election year issue,” said James Lewis. “If you look at the second way, however, it hasn’t been all that successful.”
Dan Lewis stressed that more can be done for these families and suggested a work support system that makes work “pay.”
“Society asks you to go to work. It says if you go to work, you should be able to take care of your family,” Lewis said. “But society doesn’t change how much you make.”
Lewis suggested the second group of families, those with no employment or welfare benefits, are most vulnerable.
“The United States needs to get into the business of taking care of people in the no-work, no-welfare category,” he said. “There needs to be more attention paid to those who are off the dole.”
Reach Joseph DeMartino at [email protected].
