AFDC had a lot of shortcomings. TANF gives states block grants, which means the states only get a certain amount of money per year, no matter how many people need it. TANF requires that recipients work 20 to 35 hours per week. Even when the work requirement is met, there is a federal absolute limit of 60 months' eligibility over a lifetime. Though their incomes rose substantially from 1993 to 1995, before welfare reform, their incomes fell from 1995 to 1997, during the period when welfare reform kicked in.
Child care is obviously a key part of making the transition to the world of work.
Studies show that where full child care subsidies are available, there is a dramatic increase in labor force participation among the poor. However, child care across the country is scarce, considering the demand. In some states, low-income working mothers have waited as long as two years to receive a child care subsidy for a toddler, and as long as one year for an infant. In Massachusetts it took Susan from September 1998 to January 1999 to get child care. She has to travel, without a car, to a community 10 miles away to renew her voucher periodically.