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All children in Nebraska must have income that is
sufficient to provide essential food, shelter, and
medical care. All parents should have access
to programs that educate them, provide assistance
when needed and encourage them to be responsive to
their children’s needs.
Many Nebraska families continue to experience poverty
despite work. Low-income children are more likely
to experience difficulties in school, become teen
parents, and as adults earn less and be unemployed
more. (Poverty, Welfare and Children, Child Trends
Research Brief, 1999.) As more and more families
make the move from welfare to work, it is imperative
that there are programs in place to assist these low-income
families in making ends meet financially.
Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) provided cash assistance
benefits to 11,948 Nebraska families with 21,702 children
on an average monthly basis in 2005. With the implementation
of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF),
time limits were placed on the receipt of cash assistance
by families. While this has encouraged more people
to work, it appears that families are not taking advantage
of other services that they remain eligible for, such
as food stamps. These families need to continue
their participation in supplemental programs in order
to provide adequately for their children. Unfortunately
there is fear among professionals that families who
have reached the end of eligibility for cash assistance
assume, and may not be informed otherwise, that they
are not eligible for other programs.
A very positive aspect of Nebraska's welfare
reform effort was the establishment of child care
subsidies for children living at or below 120% of
federal poverty level, and health care coverage for
children living at or below 185% of poverty. Nebraska’s
families are benefiting from this assistance and it
is hoped that improvements will continue.
 Download:
A Rural Road Report.
Download:
Issue Brief: Economic Well-Being.
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