This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
In 2010, singles under 65 with incomes of $11,344 or less were designated poor. For those over 65, it was $10,458.
For single parents with one child, it's $15,030. With two children, it's $17,568. For two adults with no children, it's $14,602. With one child, it's $17,552. With two children, it's $22,113. With three children, it's $26,023.
Adjusted for inflation, current thresholds are slightly higher, but bear no relation to reality. Individuals and families need double or more these levels to avoid poverty. Moreover, jerry-rigged inflation numbers further distort cost of living effects on all households.
The Department of Health and Human Services has its own federal aid eligibility guidelines. They differ slightly from Census numbers, and reflect marginally higher Alaska and Hawaii thresholds.
NPC's H. Luke Shaefer and Harvard Kennedy School's Kathryn Edin studied how Clinton's 1996 welfare reform affected millions of poor Americans.
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation ("welfare reform") Act (PRWORA) changed eligibility rules. From 1935 until then, needy households got welfare payments through Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). It protected states by sharing caseload costs during hard times.
Thereafter, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) set five year time limits. It gave states fixed block grants to administer at their own discretion. As a result, America's most needy face huge risks during economic downturns when reduced federal aid exacerbates dire conditions.
Under TANF, recipients must work or receive job training, even during hard times when employment's harder than ever to find. Moreover, single mothers with young children are grievously impacted. During their most formative years, children need them as caregivers.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).