HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced welfare caseloads dropped in the first quarter of 2004 to fewer than two million families for the first time since February 1970.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseloads dropped 1.3 percent for individuals and 0.8 percent for families between December 2003 and March 2004. As of March 2004, there were 4,798,986 individuals and 1,992,143 families receiving TANF cash benefits.
Have your clients meet nearly 40 recruiters from municipal, state and federal law enforcement agencies, fire department, emergency medical services, U.S. military, reserve, guard and private investigative and security agencies!
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Anchorage Job Center Muldoon
1251 Muldoon Road
To be worry-free about having enough food is not the norm in the United States, says a Cornell University sociologist.
"Rather, the need to use food stamps is a common American experience that at least half of all Americans between the ages of 20 and 65 will face," says Thomas A. Hirschl, professor of development sociology at Cornell who has completed a study of food stamp use.
Race and education, Hirschl says, have dramatic links to food stamp use: More than 85 percent of African Americans will use food stamps some time between the ages of 20 and 65, compared with 37 percent of white Americans; about 64 percent of adults with less than 12 years of education will use food stamps, compared with 38 percent of adults with 12 or more years of education.
Since I announced the creation of a healthy marriage initiative in Alaska, there has been considerable interest and discussion throughout the state. In an essay entitled, "Sharing our learning with the community," Jeanne Curran of California State University and professor Susan Takata of the University of Wisconsin maintain, "Responsible democracy, representational or otherwise, requires a citizenry able to hear validity claims in good faith and come to collective action." Alaska's Healthy Marriage Initiative is a "coming to action" of sorts as we work to promote and protect the health and well-being of Alaskans. It has been my experience that good social welfare policy is developed when we engage in public discourse, especially to the extent we endeavor to hear the valid claims of those with opposing views.
I want to congratulate you all on the successful effort you continue make toward achieving our Better than Average food stamp accuracy campaign goal. Last October we set a very ambitious goal of 93% payment accuracy for the fiscal year ending this September. At that time Alaska had the highest food stamp error rate in the nation. We are now definitely on track, and seriously contending for a performance bonus award as a state with the most improved accuracy.