The challenge of breaking the cycle of welfare dependency, particularly for the hardest-to-employ, has become of critical importance on a national and local level. The focus of this challenge is to help welfare-dependent individuals overcome the multiple barriers to employment that they face.

Several studies have indicated that a large number of welfare dependent heads-of-household, particularly those who are single and female, face two categories of barriers to employment: personal/individual and systemic/structural. Many of these barriers are interconnected and impact the individual as a complex web of obstacles to self-sufficiency.

Systemic Barriers
Systemic barriers to employment for many welfare dependent heads-of-household are well-documented and include lack of appropriate training or opportunities, a shortage of jobs that pay a livable wage, lack of child care, and transportation problems. For a mother receiving welfare, there is the reality of the costs associated with work – adequate child care for her children, and the costs in time and money for transportation, either owning a car or having to rely on public transportation.

Psychological Barriers
Psychological barriers are often more difficult to overcome than barriers such as child care and transportation. Single-parent welfare recipients often feel immobilized, disempowered, helpless, overwhelmed and anxious. Their living patterns are unstable, they have lacked proper role models, and they have histories of failure, low self-esteem, fear of the unknown, poor education, joblessness or weak employment histories. Many suffer from general depression. At Beyond Shelter, over 50 percent also have histories of domestic violence and/or drug or alcohol abuse. Many families may be considered multiproblem families, living in chronic poverty. Often they experience periodic episodes of homelessness or unstable housing situations. Their family dynamics are also usually unstable or stressful, with extended family support or other social support systems being weak or nonexistent. Likewise, their money management and household management skills are weak. Adults in drug abuse treatment programs must also deal with all of the above problems while addressing personal issues related to recovery.

Welfare To Work: Approaches & Tools
As a result of Beyond Shelter's extensive experience with welfare-dependent heads-of-household through its "Housing First" Program, the agency has developed and implemented a number of approaches and tools that assist in breaking the cycle of welfare dependency.

The Team Approach
Through trial and error over the past 10 years, Beyond Shelter has developed an innovative, individualized, client-centered, team approach to helping multiproblem, welfare-dependent, primarily single female, heads-of-household to successfully transition from welfare dependency to employment. Living in crisis poverty, these women face major barriers to employment, such as unstable living patterns, poor coping skills, poor education, early parenthood, low self-esteem, histories of homelessness and/or domestic violence, and little or no extended family or other social support systems.

In the team approach, a case manager and employment counselor work closely together with each participant over time, helping her to address each barrier, while moving her slowly toward independence and self-sufficiency. While the case manager addresses basic issues related to family stability and resources, such as housing, child care, money management, household management and transportation, the employment counselor focuses on employment-related needs and addresses psychological barriers that prevent women from participating in job development and job placement activities. Once the barriers have been overcome and the client is employed or in training, the case manager and employment counselor continue to share responsibility to promote job retention, providing appropriate interventions and support for the new worker and her family for at least a 12-month time period. The team of case manager and employment counselor can provide a valuable resource to the employer willing to hire TANF recipients with little or no previous employment histories. The basic responsibilities of each are described below.

The Role of the Case Manager

 The Role of the Employment Counselor

• Conducts an Employment Needs Assessment, identifying psychological and other barriers to employment

• Develops an individualized Welfare-to-Work Plan to address the barriers

• Provides individualized job readiness activities and pre-employment counseling and support

• Provides direct job placement and ongoing support to the client to ensure job retention

• Maintains contact with the employer and case manager during the transition from welfare to work

The Welfare-To-Work Transition Plan
Clients should be identified in two job readiness areas: those with employment potential and those with employment histories. Formerly employed adults can often participate immediately in job placement activities. Clients should be assessed through personal interviews that examine needs, desires, abilities and interests. Barriers to training should be candidly discussed and background checks conducted. The employment counselor should employ objective, basic skill testing in the areas for which employment is sought. This should be an important factor in determining whether, and how, a client will be served. 

Integration of Approaches & Tools
The team approach and individual activities targeted to a client's particular strengths and weaknesses can be easily integrated into many existing programs. Provision of individualized job development and placement support might include the creation of a functional resume, identification of appropriate entry-level jobs, procurement of interview clothing and the development of a job search strategy.

For information on the Los Angeles-based, Department of Labor Welfare-to-Work Demonstration Project conducted at Beyond Shelter from 1999 to 2001, click:  

Welfare-to-Work Demonstration Project

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