--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the old welfare program’s height in…" description: "\"“At the old welfare program’s height in 1994, it served more than 14.2 million people—4.6 million adults and 9.6 million children. In 2012, the year Mo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/kathryn-edin-25745_children_at-the-old-welfare-program-s-height-in-1_2935183.jpg" --- # At the old welfare program’s height in 1994, it served… ![“At the old welfare program’s height in 1994, it served more than 14.2 million people—4.6 million adults and 9.6 million children. In 2012, the year Modonna took her trip to the DHS office, there were only 4.4 million people left on the rolls—1.1 million adults (about a quarter of whom were…” quote by Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/kathryn-edin-25745_children_at-the-old-welfare-program-s-height-in-1_2935183.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/kathryn-edin-25745_children_at-the-old-welfare-program-s-height-in-1_2935183.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/kathryn-edin-25745_children_at-the-old-welfare-program-s-height-in-1_2935183.jpg) > ““At the old welfare program’s height in 1994, it served more than 14.2 million people—4.6 million adults and 9.6 million children. In 2012, the year Modonna took her trip to the DHS office, there were only 4.4 million people left on the rolls—1.1 million adults (about a quarter of whom were working) and 3.3 million kids. That’s a 69 percent decline. By fall 2014, the TANF caseload had fallen to 3.8 million. Before”” [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights a sharp decline in welfare program enrollment over two decades, indicating reduced reliance on assistance and possible policy or economic shifts. **In simple terms:** Welfare enrollment fell dramatically from 1994 to 2014. Key Takeaway Recognize how social safety nets evolve over time. Themes social policy economics poverty reduction Mood analytical concerned Type statistical informative When to use this quote - policy analysis - academic research - government budgeting Key Concepts welfare reform demographic change public assistance Questions to Reflect On - What factors contributed to the drop in caseload? - How does reduced enrollment affect vulnerable families? A Different Perspective The decline may mask underlying hardships not captured by enrollment numbers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults Million](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults-million-4346729/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Million Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-adults-296539/) [Old Welfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-welfare-4346730/) [People Million](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-million-249162/) [Welfare Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare-program-286514/) ## Related quotes > [“Stephen Ansolabehere cited a study from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study stating that one out of every 100 adults, or about six million people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-walsh/stephen-ansolabehere-cited-a-study-from-the-cooperative-congressional/) [Marian Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-walsh/) > [“America’s cash welfare program—the main government program that caught people when they fell—was not merely replaced with the 1996 welfare reform; it was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/america-s-cash-welfare-program-the-main-government-program-that/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Out of every one hundred Americans, fewer than two get aid from today’s cash welfare program. Just 27 percent of poor families with children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/out-of-every-one-hundred-americans-fewer-than-two-get-aid-from-today/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [The old welfare system was hurting people by discouraging work and marriage. Welfare reform, and now this legislation, will build on the understanding that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-talent/the-old-welfare-system-was-hurting-people-by-discouraging-work-and/) [Jim Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-talent/) > [Came out my mama's pussy, I'm on welfare. Twenty-six years old, still on welfare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ol-dirty-bastard/came-out-my-mama-s-pussy-i-m-on-welfare-twenty-six-years-old-still-on/) [Ol' Dirty Bastard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ol-dirty-bastard/) > [“If current trends continue, over 700 million adults across the planet will be living with diabetes by 2025.13”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-noakes/if-current-trends-continue-over-700-million-adults-across-the-planet/) [Tim Noakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-noakes/) > [“The top centile is a particularly interesting group to study in the context of my historical investigation. Although it constitutes (by definition) a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/the-top-centile-is-a-particularly-interesting-group-to-study-in-the/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [I have a constituency with 52,000 people and a million sheep. I was in one village where a local kid was run over by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-have-a-constituency-with-52-000-people-and-a-million-sheep-i-was-in/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [How about if I had two people in the race? The number would've been twice as good. In other words, people with 2 million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/how-about-if-i-had-two-people-in-the-race-the-number-would-ve-been/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [For a million dollars, the Russians would take two people, a million apiece, around the moon and back. However, stories, videos that come from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/for-a-million-dollars-the-russians-would-take-two-people-a-million/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [ Nine million people - nine million people lost their jobs \[in 2008\]. Five million people lost their homes. And $13 trillion in family wealth… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/nine-million-people-nine-million-people-lost-their-jobs-in-2008-five/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [But a multitude of people, even the two hundred million of the Chinese empire, cannot subsist without civil government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-stiles/but-a-multitude-of-people-even-the-two-hundred-million-of-the-chinese/) [Ezra Stiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-stiles/) > [The most important social welfare program in America is a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/the-most-important-social-welfare-program-in-america-is-a-job/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [This is not to say that the government should confiscate from the "haves" and bestow upon the "have-nots", beyond the requirements of a compassionate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/this-is-not-to-say-that-the-government-should-confiscate-from-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) ## More by Kathryn Edin > [“Of the $16.5 billion the federal government transfers to states for TANF, more than $11 billion is siphoned off for other uses, sometimes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/of-the-16-5-billion-the-federal-government-transfers-to-states-for/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Survival strategies come in three forms. The first is taking advantage of public spaces and private charities—the nation’s libraries, food pantries, homeless shelters, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/survival-strategies-come-in-three-forms-the-first-is-taking-advantage/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Parents like Jennifer, Susan, and Rae express desires that are quite modest. Full-time hours come first. That is a prize that can be astonishingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/parents-like-jennifer-susan-and-rae-express-desires-that-are-quite/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Housing instability is a hallmark of life among the $2-a-day poor. Children experiencing $2-a-day poverty are far more likely to move over the course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/housing-instability-is-a-hallmark-of-life-among-the-2-a-day-poor/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“As a practical matter, it is far more difficult to traffic in SNAP than it once was. Back in the days when folks got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/as-a-practical-matter-it-is-far-more-difficult-to-traffic-in-snap/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) deems a family that is spending more than 30 percent of its income on housing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/the-u-s-department-of-housing-and-urban-development-hud-deems-a/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Government-subsidized private sector job creation is one way forward. Recently, the federal government sponsored a promising short-term subsidized jobs program through something called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/government-subsidized-private-sector-job-creation-is-one-way-forward/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Out of every one hundred Americans, fewer than two get aid from today’s cash welfare program. Just 27 percent of poor families with children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/out-of-every-one-hundred-americans-fewer-than-two-get-aid-from-today/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Already in 2001, 63 percent of very low income households were putting more than half their income toward housing, leaving too little for other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/already-in-2001-63-percent-of-very-low-income-households-were-putting/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Providing the ultimate safety net is the role that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is supposed to play, but it hasn’t proved to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/providing-the-ultimate-safety-net-is-the-role-that-temporary/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“The most obvious manifestation of the affordable housing crisis is in rising rents. Between 1900 and 2013, rents rose faster than inflation in virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/the-most-obvious-manifestation-of-the-affordable-housing-crisis-is-in/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Yet laying the blame on a lack of personal responsibility obscures the fact that there are powerful and ever-changing structural forces at play here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/yet-laying-the-blame-on-a-lack-of-personal-responsibility-obscures/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“...child welfare officials deem it inappropriate for a brother and sister to sleep in the same bedroom once they reach a certain age. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/child-welfare-officials-deem-it-inappropriate-for-a-brother-and/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Although the 1996 welfare reform pushed millions of low-income single moms into the workforce, it did nothing to improve the conditions of low-wage jobs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/although-the-1996-welfare-reform-pushed-millions-of-low-income-single/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“In the fine print on a food stamp application, it is made clear that selling SNAP can result in a felony charge. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/in-the-fine-print-on-a-food-stamp-application-it-is-made-clear-that/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) [Explore all 22 Kathryn Edin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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In 2012, the year Modonna took her trip to the DHS office, there were only 4.4 million people left on the rolls—1.1 million adults (about a quarter of whom were working) and 3.3 million kids. That’s a 69 percent decline. By fall 2014, the TANF caseload had fallen to 3.8 million. 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