Recent Changes in Minnesota Welfare and Work, Child Care, and Child Welfare Systems

Abstract

Minnesota is a state with a reputation for progressive policies and generous social programs. Throughout the 1990s, Minnesota made a commitment to providing basic support for families to move toward self-sufficiency, including the development of a statewide health insurance plan for low-income uninsured families (MinnesotaCare), child care assistance for low-income working families (Basic Sliding Fee Child Care Program), and the Working Family Credit (the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit). When the state began its pilot welfare program in 1994, the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) was intended not only to move recipients off welfare but to move them out of poverty as well. Indeed, Minnesota was one of the first states to implement a welfare program that combined generous income disregards with mandated employment services. In recent years, the focus in Minnesota has shifted noticeably to include a stronger “work first” orientation, and more intense services directed toward welfare recipients with barriers to employment. In addition, the development of new policies and programs for low-income families has become increasingly complicated by changes in the political affiliation of the governor and the legislature. This report is a summary of information obtained during visits to Hennepin County (the state’s largest urban county, which includes the city of Minneapolis) in 1999 and 2000 to document changes and progress since 1997. The report updates Income Support and Social Services for LowIncome People in Minnesota, an overview of benefits and services in the state in 1997 and a description of the economic and political context shaping Minnesota’s agenda for serving low-income families. The current report begins with a brief profile of the population, economic conditions, and political landscape in Minnesota at the time of our second visit, followed by a description of Minnesota’s social safety net for low income families. Next, the report provides an overview of the service delivery structure in Minnesota, focusing in particular on organizational and policy changes, budgets, and overall philosophy of support for low-income families. Descriptions of three key services in the state—income support and workforce development, child care assistance, and child welfare programs—follow this discussion (see p. 5). The report concludes with a brief integrative summary of policies and services for families in Minnesota. Researchers visited Minnesota three times during 1999 and 2000: June, 1999 (child care team); September, 1999 (child welfare team); and April, 2000 (TANF and workforce development team). The research teams collected the information compiled in this report through telephone and in-person interviews with front-line program staff, state-level officials, local program administrators, and key informants from Hennepin County and statelevel advocacy and social service organizaRecent Changes in Minnesota Welfare and Work, Child Care, and Child Welfare Systems Kathryn Tout, Karin Martinson, Robin Koralek, and Jennifer Ehrle