Welfare reform, based on that concept, transformed a program that had grown to engulf 5.1 million families in 1994. Recipients now receive cash on a time-limited basis and are required to work in exchange for benefits. Parents leaving welfare are eligible for wage supplements if they work, and new funds are provided to low-income families to help people get off, and stay off, welfare. The reform also strengthened the child support enforcement system making it more difficult for parents to escape the responsibility of financially supporting their children. More states are also offering financial incentives to help people get off welfare.
Welfare reform is about helping people to help themselves.
Welfare now provides temporary help, instead of a life-long entitlement check, and requires work so families can get jobs, support themselves, and prepare for the future. Non-citizens must work now or rely on their families or sponsors for support, saving taxpayers billions of dollars. Welfare rolls have been falling at a rate of 6,000 recipients per day nationwide. Hundreds of thousands of poor parents have found jobs. The poverty rate is down.