Welfare in the Bronx: Personal Responsibility Is Still the Key
Rachel Sheffield /
“Need Welfare in the Bronx? Come Back Tomorrow, Maybe” — that’s the title of a recent Womensenews.org piece that questions the success of welfare reform. Caseloads may have dropped, argues author Anna Limontas-Salisbury, but the system leaves those in need feeling frustrated and discouraged. Specifically, she blames the system’s inefficiencies on the ’96 reforms — the ones that inserted work requirements and time limits into the main federal cash-assistance program and created Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).
The author is correct that the current welfare system is in need of reform, but work requirements are not the root of the problem. The real trouble is the fact that such requirements have been watered down. (more…)