Pennsylvania Again Meets Federal Goal for Moving Families Away From Cash Assistance and Into the Workforce

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania has once again met the federally mandated targets for helping its residents move from welfare to work, acting Secretary of Public Welfare Harriet Dichter announced today.

The federal government this month released 2008 state totals on work participation rates for families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF. The data shows Pennsylvania is among the states that met the mandated work participation rate.

"Even at a time when so many families are struggling, Pennsylvania continues to make gains in moving families towards self-sufficiency," Dichter said. "The long-term trend is that fewer people are relying on cash assistance and more are receiving the workforce training and education they need to find gainful employment."

The number of Pennsylvanians receiving TANF has dropped by more than 60,000 from 2005 through 2008.  While more families have applied for assistance during the sharp national economic downturn, the TANF caseload is nearly 56 percent lower than when the program began in 1997.  

The work participation rate gauges how successfully TANF recipients in each state are working to achieve self-sufficiency. The rate is determined by two measures: the percentage of adults receiving TANF who are working or enrolled in qualifying employment and training programs; and the overall decline in each state's TANF caseload.

Dichter noted Pennsylvania has made tremendous gains in recent years, increasing its work participation rate from just 7 percent in 2004 to nearly 40 percent in 2008.

"These gains are testament to the commonwealth's commitment to provide quality job training to our neediest citizens while also rooting out fraud, waste and abuse in the public welfare system," she said.

Pennsylvania's TANF program provides short-term assistance to families when the support of one or both parents is interrupted, or provides supplemental support when family income from employment and other sources does not meet basic needs. Adults undergo skills and employment assessments and are required to engage in activities that enhance self-sufficiency and ensure the well-being of their children.

For more information on TANF, visit the Department of Public Welfare's Web site at www.dpw.state.pa.us.

Media contact: Michael Race, 717-787-4592

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare