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Authorizing Council’s Committee on Health and Human Services to hold hearings on the City of Philadelphia’s welfare-to-work efforts, including the Transitional Work Programs, Philadelphia @ Work and Work Opportunities, and to investigate the effectiveness of such programs at placing and retaining former welfare recipients in permanent jobs that promote self-sufficiency, with specific attention focused on length of job programs, the appropriateness of wages paid, the practice of requiring attendance at unpaid training, and the retention rates of former welfare recipients placed into permanent jobs.
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WHEREAS, The United States Congress and the legislature of the State of Pennsylvania mandated the reform of welfare programs in 1996; and
WHEREAS, In response to the requirement that welfare recipients participate in work activity after receipt of 24 months of Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), the City of Philadelphia and the State of Pennsylvania designed a series of programs to enable welfare recipients to find work; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia created the Philadelphia @ Work Program, and the State of Pennsylvania created the Work Opportunities Program, in order to transition former welfare recipients into permanent jobs; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia @ Work Program has been actively placing welfare recipients into transitional jobs for over one year, and Work Opportunities has been placing recipients into transitional jobs for over six months; and
WHEREAS, The transitional jobs of 25 hours per week, at minimum wage, only last six months, and have the additional requirement that participants attend 10 hours of unpaid training per week; and
WHEREAS, Placement and retention in private jobs have been a problem for participants in the program; and
WHEREAS, Six months is not sufficient time on the job to develop a credible work history, nor is it enough time to build the skills necessary to become self-sufficient and to develop a respect for the value of work; and
WHEREAS, The receipt of only minimum wage salaries ensures that most workers will remain under the poverty line, as the minimum wage has not been increased since 1997; and
WHEREAS, There is no need to rush participants through these programs in 6 months when the state has millions of dollars in welfare surplus; and
WHEREAS, Longer-term jobs of up to 18 months in duration, an increase in pay from minimum wage to $7.00 per hour, and qualify training as part of a paid work-week will make participants more desirable to private employers; and
WHEREAS, It is the duty of City Council to oversee welfare reform efforts in the City of Philadelphia, and to bring about change where necessary; now therefore
RESOLVED, That the Committee on Health and Human Services hold hearings on the City of Philadelphia’s Welfare-to-work efforts to investigate the effectiveness of such programs at placing and retaining former welfare recipients in permanent jobs that promote self-sufficiency.
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Committee shall pay specific attention to the length of job programs, to the appropriateness of wages paid, to the practice of requiring attendance at unpaid training, and to the retention rates of former welfare recipients placed into permanent jobs.
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