The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #74902

Julian Chow, PhD, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, 120 Haviland Hall #7400, Berkeley, CA 94720-7400, 510-643-9288, jchow99@uclink.berkeley.edu and Kathy Lemon, MSW, Graduate Student Researcher, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, 120 Haviland Hall #7400, Berkeley, CA 94720-7400.

The Personal Responsibility Act of 1996, commonly referred to as welfare reform, imposed a 5-year time limit on the receipt of welfare benefits. The impact of welfare reform may be particularly detrimental for Southeast Asian families-many of whom are refugees and immigrants. Southeast Asian refugee and immigrant families often experience numerous and unique barriers to successful transition from welfare to work, making them especially vulnerable for welfare benefit loss due to the 5-year time limit. In San Francisco and Alameda counties, two-thirds of those who have reached the 5-year time limit are Asian, yet little empirical research has been conducted on the impact of welfare benefit termination for Asians. An exploratory study is currently underway to examine the impact of benefit termination and strategies to minimize possible negative consequences associated with benefit loss among Southeast Asian families in the Bay Area. The focus of this presentation is to: 1) provide an overview on the patterns of welfare use among immigrants and Southeast Asian populations, 2) identify the key barriers to access and use of existing welfare-to-work services, and 3) explore alternative program strategies, with special attention on successful welfare-to-work programs serving this population.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will:
• identify barriers to successful welfare-to-work outcomes among Southeast Asian refugee and immigrant families, and
• recognize possible negative outcomes for Southeast Asian families who have had their benefits terminated.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.