Embargoed for release                                     

April 30, 2002, 9:00 am                                                          

Contact: John Hutchins, (202) 906-8013, jhutchins@clasp.org

New Surveys Suggest Low-Income Teen Parents

Not Receiving Welfare and Other Assistance They Need

Hill Briefings Scheduled for April 30

(Washington, DC) -- Two new surveys suggest that some low-income teen parents are not receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits and other public assistance for which they appear eligible. As Congress considers the reauthorization of TANF, too little attention has been paid to the needs of low-income teen parents, a particularly vulnerable population about which we don't know enough. In fact, federal and state data collection about teen parents and TANF remains inadequate, according to one of the surveys.

During welfare reform in 1996, policymakers recognized that concentrating on teen parents was critically important: although teen parents represent only about five percent of the overall TANF caseload, historically about 50 percent of adult welfare recipients began parenting as teens.  The 1996 law created special rules for teen parents, generally requiring them to live at home or in supervised settings and to stay in school/training in order to receive benefits.  However, the new surveys suggest that these rules are having the unintended consequence of turning away needy teens who are not in school or not living at home, rather than giving them the opportunity to come into compliance.

Two reports are being released on April 30:

·        Knocking on the Door: Barriers to Welfare and Other Assistance for Teen Parents by Deborah L. Shapiro and Helene M. Marcy, the Center for Impact Research, Chicago - A survey of low-income teen mothers in Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago.

·        Add It Up: Teen Parents and Welfare...Undercounted, Oversanctioned, Underserved by Janellen Duffy and Jodie Levin-Epstein, the Center for Law and Social Policy - A survey of state administrators in 33 states, including data on teen mothers from 11 states.

"Lawmakers had the right goals in mind: supervision and education for teen parents," said Jodie Levin-Epstein, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy and co-author of one of the reports. "Ironically, these very requirements may cause needy teen parents to be turned away at the door or denied necessary assistance."

Preliminary findings from other studies will also be available at the two Capitol Hill briefings on Tuesday, April 30, which are open to the press:

·        9:00-10:00 am, Capitol Building, Room SC-6

·        2:00-3:00 pm, Capitol Building, Room HC-9

The Knocking on the Door survey of needy teen parents in Chicago has already made a difference. "After we shared preliminary findings with the Illinois Department of Human Services, they immediately implemented new procedures with the goal of ensuring that needy teens are not being turned away," said Jody Raphael, director for research at the Center for Impact Research. "The rapid response of the state of Illinois can serve as a model for other states."

For information about these events or to receive embargoed copies of the surveys, contact John Hutchins, Communications Director, CLASP, (202) 906-8013, jhutchins@clasp.org.

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A national, nonprofit organization founded in 1968, CLASP conducts research, policy analysis, technical assistance, and advocacy on issues related to economic security of low-income families with children.