In recent years, low-income Americans with substance abuse problems have faced increasing barriers to receiving public aid. Extant studies have noted these barriers but provided little insight into their nature. Consequently, they provide little guidance on how to address them. In this paper, we propose three ways of conceptualizing these barriers: as hindrances to the accumulation of human capital, as harmful to social capital and social support networks, and as administrative features of the welfare system itself. Using longitudinal data from one county, we compare how well variables representing these three conceptualizations predict clients' exit and re-entrance to Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and General Assistance (GA) welfare programs. Our results show that substance abuse was a barrier to aid receipt, with substance abusers more likely to be repeat welfare users. Substance abuse was not a significant factor in determining whether clients leave welfare for a job (thus it was not primarily a human capital barrier), but it was a critical factor in other routes off welfare-including those involving social support and administrative removals. Substance abusers were three times more likely than non-abusers to leave welfare for family reasons and twice as likely to leave aid for administrative reasons. Family and administrative exits were associated with higher rates of subsequent welfare return thus accounting for substance abusers' relatively high rate of repeat welfare use. These findings extend recent literature on the relationship between aid receipt and substance abuse.
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Welfare, Substance Abuse
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.