Poverty & Welfare Policy

What is color of poverty?  In the United States, people of color are more likely to be poor.  However, the social safety net is no longer strong enough to catch those who fall through the cracks.  Race Forward understands that to end poverty will require addressing the root causes of it's inequitable distribution.

Prospecting Among the Poor

May 15, 2001

Welfare Privatization. This report examines the beneficiaries of the privatization of welfare: the corporate elite and other small but growing businesses. The report also looks at the efficacy and failures of the privatization of welfare.

Download this report in PDF format.

Worthwhile Welfare Reforms

February 15, 2001

This report looks at model welfare policies being promoted by various advocacy groups. Many of the policies are a direct result of actions taken due to the adverse affects that TANF and the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act had on families.

Download this report in PDF format.

The False Foundations of Welfare Reform

February 15, 2001

This report examines seven principles that laid the groundwork for the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act that ended the government guarantee of welfare assistance to low-income families. The report provides an overview and history of each fallacy used to support welfare reform as well as the actual result of the policies.

Download this report in PDF format.

Cruel and Usual

February 15, 2001

This report is the result of a survey that included 1500 people in 13 states who had contact with the welfare system in the four years after 1996 welfare reform. The report details discrimination in the operation of the new welfare programs based on four factors: race, gender, language, and national origin.

To download this report in PDF format, complete the form on this page.

The Role of the Courts in Securing...

May 15, 1999

...Welfare Rights and Improvements in Welfare and Related Programs. This report discusses the opportunities and challenges that legal advocates and low income groups would confront in considering litigation to challenge welfare reform policies and practices after 1996. The report examines the role of the courts, issues that arose from key income support programs, access and privatization of welfare, and developing legal resources for litigation.

Download this report in PDF format.