Welfare Reform Policy essays

Welfare Reform Policy essays Welfare is a program that was designed by the government to provide financial assistance from government funds and private organizations to those in hardship and need. These people include: The mentally ill, the neglected, delinquent children, the sick and the handicapped, as well as disadvantaged families. Welfare is a program intended to benefit all segments of society, but especially the less fortunate members who often find it more difficult to provide for themselves and their families. More specifically, social welfare policies focus on such matters as public education, income security, medical care, sanitation and disease prevention, public housing, employment training, childrens protective services, and improvements in human nutrition. Welfare is supported by many private organizations, such as The United Nations Childrens Fund, also known as UNICEF. Some states, and local governments, especially in the northeast and Midwest, administer general assistance programs that assist poor people who are ineligible for AFDC or SSI. People who are physically able but not working may receive assistance, for instance. General assistance programs receive no support from the federal government. Budgetary pressures have caused several states to cut back on their programs in recent years. The government decides how much welfare support to provide, and to whom based on measures of economic well-being. They are based on national mean income figures. Mean income is an estimate of how much a typical person earns over a given period of time, usually a year. People whose incomes are less than a determined amount below the national mean are considered to be living in poverty. Welfare programs target the people with relatively little income and few assets. This is called means-tested welfare. Welfare is needed in this country because in any free market economy such as the United States and most other nations, a certain percentage of ...