How many people in America receive welfare benefits today? Probably millions fewer than you think. On the 20th anniversary of the day President Bill Clinton signed welfare reform into law, we take a hard look at how and why it originated, what changes have been made since to improve the program, and what its future could be. We'll be joined by those who implemented the changes decades ago, by urban poverty experts, by human services providers and you, on The Sound of Ideas. We'll also look at the state of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District teacher strike, with State Impact Ohio Reporter, Michelle Faust.
Resources:
Cuyahoga County Deparment of Job and Family Services
The Center for Community Solutions Report: Ending Welfare As We Knew It
The Sound of Ideas: Living in Poverty
ideastream's All Things Considered Host, Tony Ganzer's piece on Sherise Mayfield Smith
-Michelle Faust, State Impact Ohio Reporter, ideastream
-John Corlett, President and Executive Director, The Center for Community Solutions
-Gail Long, Former Executive Director, Merrick House
-David Merriman, Director , Cuyahoga County Job and Family Services
-Claudia Coulton, Founder & Co-Director, The Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development, Case Western Reserve University
-Greg Lawson, Statehouse Liaison and Policy Analyst, The Buckeye Institute