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The Cabarrus County Workfare Program for AFDC and FS Recipients <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br />This project not only proposes to move many more welfare recipients closer to the world <br />of work, but it also proposes to demonstrate the basic concepts of the service delivery <br />system of NCCAN. The NCCAN conceptual design stresses the delivery of services to <br />families through a minimum of human service agencies and employees. It promotes the <br />notion of serving the whole family, as opposed to the fragmented approach now a part of <br />our process. This proposal will demonstrate this concept on a small scale through the <br />JOBS unit by providing employment services, financial services, information and referral, <br />and family support services from one agency worker. It will as well embrace all IM <br />program workers in a holistic approach, by requiring some amount of employment <br />services to be delivered in concert with financial services. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br />Since the inception of the AFDC program there have been concerns and debates about <br />the purpose and goal of the program. Most believe it was or should be a temporary <br />program designed to "tide-over" families until a job can be found. In truth that goal is to <br />often not reached. While most families do not remain continuously on welfare, there are <br />truths about the program that seem contradictory to the perceived purpose. For example, <br />families who go off welfare very often return. Further, families who go offwelfare do not <br />necessarily do so because they have found employment and thereby a means to be self <br />sufficient. In fact, one study suggests that the most frequent reason for leaving welfare is <br />marriage or taking up residence with a significant other. Finally, there are more families <br />than we would like to acknowledge that remain on welfare. Recognizing these truths led <br />in part to the JOBS program. It was reasoned that with day-care,transportation, training <br />and education, significant inroads could be made to return the program to one ora more <br />temporary orientation. While some inroads have been made, the impact is not nearly as <br />significant as had been hoped. Our lack of more measurable success may lie in what we <br />aren't doing. These include our narrow definition of who should be included or excluded <br />and our program priorities. We have designed a program that assumes some shared <br />values that unfortunately do not exist. The result is that the "truths" continue. <br /> <br />What then can be done? How do we re-invent this program? One of the ways this can be <br />started is to develop a Workfare program, one that applies to all recipients, except those <br />with very young(under 1 year) children, or are elderly and or disabled.. Workfare is not a <br />new concept. It has been tried on and off for many years with varying degrees of success. <br />It is found most frequently in the Food Stamp program. In North Carolina five counties <br />have such a program. It is as well a part of the JOBS program, in a component called <br />C~VEP. Unfortunately both programs suffer from problems of weak inclusion and <br />exclusion criteria, and both lack the "teeth" needed to encourage participation. What <br />success there has been in Workfare programs is felt to be due to one, or a combination of, <br />a) a commitment to the outcome over the process, (a job is the first target, not the <br />training and education to get a job), b) work has value regardless of whether it can fully <br />provide for the family, c) the securing of a better job that will provide for the family <br /> <br /> <br />