Illinois' welfare effort is working better for whites than minorities, the Reporter found. A higher percentage of white aid recipients leave the system with jobs, but many more minority recipients are removed because they fail to comply with state rules. And for those who remain on the rolls, the state’s job placement program has produced few successes.
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Welfare Reform: Reading Between the LinesBy: Sarah KarpOn Dec. 10, Gov. George Ryan’s office announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had awarded Illinois a $21.6 million "high performance" bonus because of the state’s successful welfare-to-work efforts. But welfare statistics can be confusing. Here are some statements from Ryan’s press release, and The Chicago Reporter’s analysis of the meaning behind the numbers.
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Welfare by the Numbers
From July 1997 to June 1999, the state closed 102,425 welfare cases involving white aid recipients. Of those, 41,099--more than 40 percent--left the rolls because they earned enough income to no longer need benefits. By comparison, of the 238,535 minority cases closed, just 65,242 recipients--about 27 percent-- left because they had jobs. Nearly half of the minority cases were closed because recipients failed to comply with department rules; 96 percent of those cases were later reinstated. At the same time, 38 percent of whites had their cases closed for non-compliance, and less than 1 percent of these cases were reopened.
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Work Preparation Falters: Minorities Off Welfare Get Few JobsBy: Sarah KarpUnder fluorescent lights in a sparsely decorated basement classroom on Chicago’s Southeast Side, three women begin their day with an affirmation: "I am better every day, in every way." Their teacher, Juhnna Hardin, hopes the words will convince the women, who have been on state assistance for years, that they can leave the welfare rolls and make better lives for themselves.
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1999 in Review: The year in race, poverty and Chicago politics
Stories that once seemed more the gritty fantasy of television crime dramas have become real on the streets of Chicago. With each new law enforcement scandal, more and more citizens call for justice. And no longer is the public outcry limited to the usual community activists and defenders of minority rights. In 1999, distrust of police went mainstream.
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