Whats Behind the Weakening Safety Net for the Poorest Families?
During the 1990s, federal and state policy changes made basic cash assistance programs for the poorest families with children less accessible while increasing supports for low-income working families. During the mid- to late 1990s, a strong economy coupled with these policy changes resulted in large increases in employment among low-skilled workers in general and single mothers in particular. Poverty among families with children fell. Even as some families climbed above the poverty line, however, there were warning signs that others were falling deeper into poverty. Most of these families had periods of joblessness, due both to the nature of low-wage work and to individual crises and barriers to employment. Making matters worse, the economic boom halted after 2000 and the brief recession of 2001 was followed by years of labor market weakness. From 2000 to 2005, employment rates fell for single parents, and both poverty and deep poverty among children rose. The largest single reason why
