--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Out of every one hundred Americans, fewer…" description: "\"“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 participa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/kathryn-edin-25745_2013_out-of-every-one-hundred-americans-fewer_1110983.jpg" --- # Out of every one hundred Americans, fewer than two get aid… ![“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 participate. There are more avid postage stamp collectors in the United States than welfare recipients.” quote by Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/kathryn-edin-25745_2013_out-of-every-one-hundred-americans-fewer_1110983.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/kathryn-edin-25745_2013_out-of-every-one-hundred-americans-fewer_1110983.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/kathryn-edin-25745_2013_out-of-every-one-hundred-americans-fewer_1110983.jpg) > ““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 participate. There are more avid postage stamp collectors in the United States than welfare recipients.”” [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 statistic highlights how few Americans actually receive cash welfare despite widespread poverty, suggesting a gap between need and program participation. **In simple terms:** Few people get cash welfare even though many are poor. Key Takeaway Recognize and address barriers to welfare enrollment. Themes poverty policy social welfare participation inequality Mood concerned critical informative Type analytical policy‑oriented When to use this quote - low‑income families - policy makers - social workers - researchers - advocates Key Concepts Public policy social safety net behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - What prevents eligible families from applying? - How can outreach be improved? A Different Perspective Stigma, complex eligibility, and lack of awareness limit program reach. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Statistics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statistics/) [Welfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare/) [Welfare recipients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare-recipients/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [“One of the biggest health problems facing America's poor is obesity. You know you live in a good place when overeating is a problem.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/one-of-the-biggest-health-problems-facing-america-s-poor-is-obesity/) [John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/at-the-old-welfare-program-s-height-in-1994-it-served-more-than-14-2/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“The Medical Research Council’s PACE Trial of behavioural interventions for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) attracted considerable opposition from the outset and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-hopper/the-medical-research-council-s-pace-trial-of-behavioural/) Malcolm hopper > [“There is rightful objection to the denial of appropriate investigations and to the nationwide implementation of behavioural modification as the sole management strategy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-hopper/there-is-rightful-objection-to-the-denial-of-appropriate/) Malcolm hopper > [“The Wessely School rejects the significant body of biomedical evidence demonstrating that chronic “fatigue” or “tiredness” is not the same as the physiological exhaustion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-hopper/the-wessely-school-rejects-the-significant-body-of-biomedical/) Malcolm hopper > [Loves that some people's ideas of being independent, means cash their welfare check all by themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/loves-that-some-people-s-ideas-of-being-independent-means-cash-their/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [And the same goes for government benefits. The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 62 percent of households headed by illegal immigrants use some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/and-the-same-goes-for-government-benefits-the-center-for-immigration/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 62 percent of households headed by illegal immigrants use some form of cash or non-cash welfare programs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-center-for-immigration-studies-estimates-that-62-percent-of/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [When you create an economy where you subsidize corporate profits through a welfare program and food stamps in order to keep wages low in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-o-malley/when-you-create-an-economy-where-you-subsidize-corporate-profits/) [Martin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-o-malley/) > [The family is the world's greatest welfare agency, and the most successful. 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Rushdoony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-rushdoony/) > [In some instances, alimony has become akin to a social-welfare program provided by working women to their ex-husbands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-garnick/in-some-instances-alimony-has-become-akin-to-a-social-welfare-program/) Diane Garnick > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [“It further appeared that the experience of living below the $2-a-day threshold didn’t discriminate by family type or race. While single-mother families were most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/it-further-appeared-that-the-experience-of-living-below-the-2-a-day/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) [Explore all 22 Kathryn Edin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) ## More 2013 quotes > [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/) [Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/) > [“Been living on this earth for so long now and still don't know what a happy life feels like. 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