Forced Exit From Welfare

A study of 129 families in one New Jersey county who had been terminated from public assistance as a result of federal cutbacks in 1981 revealed severe hardships in such basic areas as food, clothing, housing and medical care. The study found that within this disadvantaged group, Hispanic and black families were the most deprived. The results of the study bring into serious question the validity of the premise on which the welfare regulations of 1981 were based, that is, that the elimination of the grant would motivate the affected families to become fully self-sufficient.