ILLINOIS WELFARE ROLLS SHRINKING

A record number of Illinoisans are leaving state welfare rolls for work.

Over the past two years, more than 97,000 people have worked their way off Illinois welfare rolls, said Gov. George H. Ryan, in announcing statistics of the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families Welfare-to-Work program.

The current number of people within the TANF program who are available to work is 82,057. Two years ago the rolls were crowded, with more than 179,000.

"That's a 59 percent decline in two years," said Ryan.

The Department of Human Services added some additional statistics: Eighty-six percent of people leaving welfare have not returned for assistance after one year, and 74 percent have not returned to the rolls after two years.

Area DHS officials agreed that the Welfare-to-Work program is working. Some former welfare recipients are earning more than double to three times what they could have received from a welfare check.

Two years ago more than 1,000 people were on the TANF rolls in the lower four counties of Illinois: Alexander, Union, Pulaski and Massac counties. About a third of those started working under the TANF program.

Today, the four-county total has dropped to fewer than 500 on the welfare rolls, and more than 50 percent of those are working.

Five Illinois counties -- Schuyler, Putnam, Brown, Harding and Moultrie -- have 100 percent of their TANF participants working. And in Chicago, seven inner-city DHS offices have more than 50 percent of their participants working.

"A child is better off if he or she is living in a home where the responsible adult works," said DHS secretary Howard A. Peters III. "Welfare reform has done more than just help families go to work. It has created the opportunity to really build better communities."

Illinois' work participation rate exceeds the federal requirement for the latest reporting period. The state's average work participation for TANF participants is 56 percent, which translates into 45,951 jobs for the 82,057 people on the TANF rolls.

The federal government requires that 35 percent of the participants be working or be in a work-related activity. The state's average two-family work participation rate is 93 percent, which exceeds the federal requirement of 90 percent.

Under the state's welfare reform policies, DHS clients who are determined to be eligible for benefits are assessed for needed services. They are then linked with training, employment services, child care and local resources to ensure that services meet the family's needs and promote self-sufficiency and independence.

Only last week Illinois received more than $5 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to enhance the state's Welfare-to-Work block grant program.

Illinois was recently recognized for having the most successful Welfare-to-Work block grant programs in the nation, said Ryan. A major factor in its success has been the sustained partnership between the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, coupled with their alliance with 26 local community networks throughout the state.

The Illinois Welfare-to-Work block grant program started in February 1997, when DCCA distributed $48 million to local communities. DHS added a $24.5 million match for an investment of $72.5 million to be distributed over three years.

DHS will add a $22.5 million match to the latest $45 million. The money will be spent through 2002 for a variety of programs: basic education, occupation skills, on-the-job-training, job placement and retention. The funds also may be used for services such as transportation, child care, substance abuse treatment, financial counseling and domestic violence intervention.

The Welfare-to-Work block grant program is aimed at helping the hardest-to-employ welfare recipients move to lasting, unsubsidized jobs. These are recipients who have been on welfare rolls for several years with poor education, low skills and no job experience.

Funds also are used for innovative work-training programs. In a work-testing program an employer assesses a client during a 30-day test period. The employer is eligible for incentives during the 30-day period, then can decide whether to hire the person permanently following the test period. The client, meanwhile, acquires job readiness skills and counseling service.

The Welfare-to-Work block grant program emphasizes a close partnership with employers enabling local communities to design employment and training programs tailor made to the needs of individual employers.

The business community plays an important role in helping welfare recipients make the transition to work, said DCCA director Pam McDonough. "The continued success of the program depends on companies that are willing to give employees a chance to prove themselves.

DHS and DCCA also have instituted joint monitoring and evaluation of progress made by each Welfare-to-Work block grant recipient. Monthly meetings are attended by top management from both agencies. The reporting systems measure progress made by each client in the areas of referrals, enrollments and initial placements. If a client experiences difficulty, field staff from both agencies follow up to help the client.