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Findings Available
Interim Implementation Findings
Final Implementation Findings
Interim Descriptive/Analytical Findings
Final Descriptive/Analytical Findings
Findings
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06/01/02:
New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study: Final Report (First Three Years)
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Final Descriptive/Analytical Findings:
For welfare leavers:
- At the final round of surveys, almost 66% were working for pay. Almost 81% were working or living with an employed adult.
- Of those who were not working and not living with an employed adult at round 3, about 43 percent had another source of income.
- Employment rate varied by race, education, ethnicity, age and county.
- Employment stability varied in general and across occupation, earnings levels and education.
- Among welfare leavers at round 3, almost 58 percent were working full time.
- Some employed welfare leavers had low earnings.
- Earnings among leavers varied by education and ethnicity.· Average earnings varied greatly across occupations.
- 74% of single parent leavers were living below the poverty level based on parental earnings alone.
- Poverty status of single parent leavers varied by age, ethnicity, education, and urban/rural location.
- About 26 percent of the welfare leavers who were employed at round 3 thought it was very likely or somewhat likely that they would be on TANF again in six months.
- About 63% of employed welfare leavers at Round 3 were using the EITC. Only 51% of high school dropouts were using it.
- About 55% of unemployed leavers had worked since leaving welfare.
- Of welfare leavers not working, 55% indicated health reasons.
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05/01/03:
New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study: Survey of Long-Term Welfare Recipients for the Barrier and Safety Net Study
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Interim Descriptive/Analytical Findings:
- Long term welfare recipients have a number of potential assets for employment including having worked at some time in the last year; having worked at least half the time since turning 18; and/or having obtained a high school diploma or GED. 31% had worked in the last 7 months and 33% were currently working.
- Long-term welfare recipients have a number of personal employment liabilities including mental health and physical health and learning disability problems or family members with one of these problems.
- Less prevalent employment liability problems included being a victim of domestic violence, having a criminal record, or problems with English. These were not significantly related to employment status.
- Long-term recipients have a number of logistical or situational employment barriers including having preschool children, 3 or more children, childcare, transportation, housing, or neighborhood safety issues.
- Physical or mental health problems were the most important liabilities in terms of current employment and recent work history.
- Barriers that were situational in nature were not highly related to current employment status except for transportation.
- Respondents who had physical health problems were also more likely to have mental health problems and learning disabilities.
- Older respondents, whites, and divorced/separated Respondents were the most likely to have a chronic health condition or poor health; be limited in their daily activities; or report a health barrier to employment or job training.
- Types of health problems varied by age, and ethnicity.
- Health problems were the most common problem cited by unemployed workers for not working.
- 22% had a MH problem that prevented them from working or attending school in the past year.
- Education deficits played a major role in job skills, occupation, earnings, job advancement potential, and employer benefits.
- 52% of the female respondents have experienced physical abuse at some time in their lives.
- Whites were more likely than Hispanics and those formerly married were most likely to be victims of domestic violence or threats.
- Fifty nine percent of respondents had been romantically involved with the fathers of their youngest child at time of birth. Only 16% were involved at the time of survey.
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03/01/02:
New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study: Results of the Third Year Follow Up Surveys
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Final Descriptive/Analytical Findings:
- Only 10 percent of leavers said that they were very likely or somewhat likely to go back on welfare in the next six months.
- Only 22% were on welfare by the third round of surveys.· About 26% of the welfare leavers who were unemployed at round 3 thought it was very unlikely or somewhat likely that they would be on TANF in six months.
- The percentage of respondents still on welfare at round 3 did not vary among major ethnic groups, but did vary significantly across county.
- High school dropouts were slower to leave welfare than were other recipients.
- About 40% of those who were still on welfare at Round 3 dropped out of high school, 49% have never been married and 48% had three or more children.
- Welfare recidivism was highest among high school dropouts, younger recipients and those who have never married.
- Long-term welfare recipients were more likely to be high school dropouts, to never have been married, or to have 3 or more children.
- Educational attainment among long term recipients varied by ethnicity and age.
- About 36 percent of welfare recipients at round 3 were employed at age but 29% had never worked or had not worked in two years.
- Many high school dropouts , Native Americans, and older recipients had little work history.
- Of those who were still on welfare at round 3, 38% cited health problems as a main barrier to employment.
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09/01/01:
New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study: Poverty Rates, Employment Stability, and Recidivism Among Welfare Leavers in New Mexico: Executive Summary
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Interim Descriptive/Analytical Findings:
- Three quarters of all single parents who had left TANF were still below the poverty level. Even among employed persons, 57% were still below the poverty level.
- 40% of leavers were working at least 40 hrs. 34% had 3 or more children.
- The group most at risk of staying in poverty is high school dropouts, 89% of whom are below the poverty line. Others groups are risk are Native Americans, younger leavers, and those in rural areas.
- Overall rates of employment, ranging from 40-59%, among leavers remained steady during the tracking.
- In the 8th and 9th quarter after leaving TANF, 50% of leavers were UI covered employment.
- Employment rates were higher in urban vs. rural areas and lower in one parent vs. two parent families.
- 29% of leavers were employed in all four quarters. 15% of were employed in the 3 of the quarters.
- 22% were employed in only 1 or 2 of the quarters after leaving TANF. 34% were employed in none of the quarters.
- 66% of the leavers were employed in at least one quarter.
- Employment stability was higher in urban areas.
- Hispanics had the highest stability rate: 48% employed in all four quarters compared to 38% of Caucasians and 40% of Native Americans.
- Employment stability varied by occupation with professional/paraprofessional/clerical having more stability compared to retail/manufacturing.
- Earnings level and education also played a major role in employment stability with higher earnings and education being associated with higher stability.
- After leaving TANF the median quarterly earnings were: $2,654 for the first quarter; $2,997 for the 4th quarter; and $3232 for the 8th quarter.
- Median earnings varied by county.
- Urban residents has higher earnings than did rural.
- Native Americans had lower earnings than did Hispanics or Caucasians.
- Earnings varied by occupation.
- About 34% were on welfare but not working in Round 3 were looking for work.
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10/01/01:
New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study: Focus Group Study of Long-Term TANF Recipients Summary
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Interim Descriptive/Analytical Findings:
- Reasons given for applying for welfare include divorce/separation, medical incapacitation, working poor, or pregnancy.
- Reasons given for not leaving welfare include medical incapacitation, need for health insurance and Medicaid, inability to find a job, in school full time, or having a child under 12 months and lack of child support.
- Requirements that would be needed in order to leave welfare include employment, disability insurance, job training, or daycare. Financial disincentives discussed included the earned income deduction, which did not allow for those who worked to maintain enough funds to get by month to month as well as retroactively decreasing benefits after a recipient began to work.
- Of the 27 respondents, 2 said they had poor prospects, 7 had borderline prospects, 6 had some prospects, and 6 had good prospects at self sufficiency at the time they reached the 60 month time limit.
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10/01/01:
New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study: Study of Long-Term
TANF Recipients
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Interim Descriptive/Analytical Findings
- Of the 5,900 families on TANF for 30 months or more in May 2001, 30% of them had been on TANF for more than 45 months and 52% had been on for more than 40 months.
- In comparison of long term recipients with the overall TANF population, males accounted for 11 percent of the long term recipients and 6.7% of the entire TANF population. Persons aged 30 and older accounted for 59% of long term recipients but only 48% of the entire TANF population. Persons with 3 or more children accounted for 44.5 % of the population but only 32.4% of the entire TANF population.
- Educational levels of long term recipients were very low. 44% had not completed high school or had a GED, 10.6% had completed only a GED. 26% of respondents had attended college but only 5% had graduated. Education levels varied by age and ethnicity.
- Ethnic composition of long term recipients varied by age.
- Different types of long-term recipients face different barriers to self-sufficiency. Older recipients (30 or over) often cited mental or physical health reasons as barriers to self-sufficiency. Younger recipients often cited "voluntary" reasons such as attending school, pregnant, caring for child.
- Barriers to self-sufficiency differed by race. Whites were more likely to cite health problems. Hispanics and Native Americans were more likely to cite lack of education and literacy problems.
- Different barriers have different impacts on prospects for achieving self-sufficiency. Among those who cited mental health barriers as their primary barrier, 22% thought they would leave after one year. Only 34% of those who cited physical health thought they would leave. 80% of those who cited transportation problems said they thought they would leave welfare in a year.
- About 90% of surveyors were aware of the 60 month time limit but 31% did not know how many they had used or did not know they had used 30 months.
- Reasons given for not working among unemployed respondents included mental and physical health conditions, MH and physical health problems among family members, staying at home to take care of children, or going to school.
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03/01/01:
New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study: Results of the Second Year Follow-Up Surveys Executive Summary
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Interim Descriptive/Analytical Findings
- At the time of the second year survey, 33% of respondents were still on welfare.
- 33% of recipients who are on welfare at Round 2 have generally been on welfare for long periods of time. Many of these "stayers" represent the types of welfare recipients who are most difficult to serve.
- With regard to recidivism, 16% of the respondents who were off welfare in May 1999 were back on it at Round 2.
- Employment rates varied by age, ethnicity, county and marital status. 57% of Native Americans were employed compared to 69% of Hispanics. One quarter of Native Americans were neither working nor living with an employed adult.
- For employed high school dropouts, average monthly earnings were $1,006 per month, compared to $1,163 for persons who had completed high school only, and $1,384 for persons who had attended college.
- Of the respondents who were off welfare and not working at the time of the Round 2 survey, 56% had worked at some time since going on welfare.
- Of all the unemployed respondents who had worked since leaving welfare, 70% had worked in the last six months.
- 40% of those still on welfare were employed.
- 49 % of those who were not working and still on welfare had never worked or had not worked in the past two years.
- About 11% of those not receiving welfare were receiving child support. The percentage receiving child support varied by ethnicity and by county.
- Almost 37% of the respondents who left welfare were still receiving Food Stamps.
- Very few respondents who were off welfare reported experiencing the most severe types of hardship - such as staying in a homeless shelter or having their children be placed in foster care.
- 33% who were no longer on welfare reported having a problem gaining access to medical services.
- 60 percent of the respondents who were no longer on welfare at Round 2 thought that their income and benefits were adequate to meet their family's needs.
- 16% on round 2 reported not having healthcare for their children.
- Among employed persons, there was a slight increase in the percentage covered by employer health plans.
- Respondents who were no longer on welfare and who were paying for childcare, 52 percent said they were receiving help from the county in paying for care.
- Among respondents who were still on welfare at Round 2, 15 percent said they were currently receiving services to help them find a job. Another 38 percent said that they had received these services in the past.
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04/01/00:
New Mexico TANF Longitudinal Study: Results of the First-Year Follow-Up Surveys
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Interim Descriptive/Analytical Findings:
- Of the persons who were no longer on welfare at time of the surveys, two-thirds thought it unlikely that they would be returning to welfare in the near future.
- About 62 percent of the persons who were no longer on welfare were working for pay when interviewed.
- Of the persons who were employed, 55 percent were working 40 hours or more per week, and 79 percent were working 30 hours or more.
- About 37 percent of persons still on welfare were working for pay at the time of the surveys. Almost 22% were earning $1000 per month or more.
- Of those not working, 45% had worked at some time while receiving welfare, and about half were currently looking for work.
- Among unmarried leavers, 11 were receiving child support, 38% were receiving food stamps, and 58% were on Medicaid.
- Of those who left welfare, 58% said they were better off than when on welfare, 17% thought they were worse off, 74 said they had health care for their children. Among those employed, 24 percent were participating in an employment sponsored health plan.
- About 55% of leavers had heard of the EITC; 43% on welfare had heard of it.
- About 20 percent of persons who had left welfare had received help in finding jobs while they were on welfare, and 31 percent of current welfare recipients had received help.
- About 28% of leavers were using childcare; of these 33% were receiving some form of childcare assistance.
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