Click the publication title to get the documents listed below. 

Scroll down to read reports from the Athens County Reentry Task Force

Athens County Job and Family Services reports:

Did welfare reform work?
In recent campaign speeches and debates, presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have both claimed credit for welfare reform and promised additional reforms if elected. And over the last 15 years, Democrats and Republicans alike have all proclaimed welfare reform to be a bipartisan success. But what really happened with welfare reform and what exactly are these political leaders basing their claims on? A new report from Athens County Job and Family Services examines the true impact of welfare reform and how it has affected families in need.
Click here to read the report.
Click here to read the news release about the report.
Click here to read an additional, more in-depth report on welfare reform

How federal cuts to social services impact Athens County and southeast Ohio
Federal cuts to social services would hurt Athens County, southeast Ohio If the new federal budget calls for significant cuts to social service programs, Athens County and most of the counties in Ohio’s Sixth and 18th Congressional districts stand to be hurt much more by the cuts than other counties in Ohio. Athens County Job and Family Services has put together a report examining the impact that federal funding has in Ohio's Sixth and 18th Congressional districts. The report clearly shows the strong benefits of government programs in the two districts and the need to support funding for these programs. To read the report, click here. To see an excel file with data on the two districts and the state, click here. To see a PDF of the data files for the Sixth District, click here. To see a PDF of the data files for the 18th district click here. To see a PDF of the data files for Ohio, click here. To see a file that looks at federal government spending in each county in each district, click here.

Rich getting richer, poor getting poorer in Ohio
The 2005 income tax cuts severely impacted Ohio's budget and provided very little benefit to most Ohioans. The tax cuts have resulted in job losses, eliminations and reductions of programs and services, and major problems for many Ohio counties, particularly the Appalachian counties. For more information on how the tax cuts have hurt Ohio, including figures for all of the Ohio House and Senate districts that include the Appalachian counties, click here. For contact information for how to contact Athens County's state senator and state representative, click here. For information on how to contact all of the state senators click here. For information on how to contact all of the state representatives in Ohio, click here.

Tax cuts and Ohio's budget deficit
While Ohio leaders debate where to cut funding in order to balance the state budget, it is important to remember that a large part of the budget deficit was caused by the state’s income tax reductions. These tax cuts overwhelmingly benefited the wealthiest Ohioans more than any other group of state residents. Athens County Job and Family Services recently looked at how each county in Ohio is affected by tax cuts, social services, government jobs and other factors. Click here to read the press release about the report. Click here to view the research on each county in Ohio. Click here to view a PDF file of the same research. Click here to view federal income tax information for each county. Click here to view a PDF of the same federal tax information for each county.

An in-depth look at the impact of welfare reform in America
In a country where nearly 7 million children are living in extreme poverty, how can anyone claim that welfare reform has been a success? Athens County Job and Family Services recently completed a report examining the impact that welfare reform has had in America. The report looks at the stated goals of welfare reform and shows how the reforms have affected people living in poverty. The report also includes commentaries from conservative and liberal leaders, poverty statistics, media reports on welfare reform and information on out-of-wedlock births. To read the news release about the report, click here. To go right to the report, click here.

TANF: Failing America’s Poorest Children (PDF document)

There are currently 5.5 million U.S. children living in extreme poverty (less than 50 percent of the federal poverty level). These children live in desperate conditions of homelessness, unsafe housing, hunger and isolation. Their basic needs of food, shelter, clothing and transportation are not being met. Many families turn to the welfare system for help. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program has evolved from a safety net designed to help children and their families to one which insures their deprivation. States have the flexibility to design the program to meet the needs of their unique situations, yet are setting policies and issuing benefits that they know will not meet the needs of these families. Meeting basic needs for our most needy citizens should be the first priority for TANF funds, not the last.   This report takes an in-depth look at TANF and our neediest families.

Social Security Disability Denials (PDF document)

Many people have lost their homes and some their lives while waiting to receive Social Security Disability benefits.  These people put their faith into a system that was supposed to help.  The system has failed them and could fail thousands more if immediate, effective changes are not made.  Athens County JFS takes a look at this issue. 

An In-depth look at the issues of poverty (PDF document)

This report is intended to create a picture of the variety of issues and challenges facing low-income citizens of our county.  While not exhaustive, it includes the major issues individuals and our community as a whole face regarding poverty.

Ohio’s Poorest Children:  Extremely Poor and Living with Their Grandparents (PDF document)

With the implementation of Welfare Reform, cash assistance caseloads have dropped dramatically as thousands of welfare recipients took jobs. While many of those former recipients remain in poverty, they have successfully left the welfare rolls and have improved financially as a result. But what about those who remain?

The most dramatic change has been the increase in “child only” cases. These are situations in which children are not living with their parents but rather with relative caretakers, usually grandparents. This is now the most common family situation for children receiving cash benefits.

Ohio must increase the cash assistance benefits to an adequate level. These 130,000 children live in families who comply with all of the strict rules of Welfare Reform, yet the benefits they receive are too low to meet basic human needs.

Athens County Reentry Task Force reports:

Task Force opposes plan to privatize prisons
The Athens County Reentry Task Force is asking state legislators to oppose the proposal to privatize five state prisons. While most of the discussion about this proposal has focused on the financial implications, the Reentry Task Force is most concerned about the ethical issues the privatization plan raises. For example, if a for-profit prison's main goal is to make money, how will this affect how many people are sent to prison, how long the prisoners are kept there, and how the services are provided to rehabilitate the prison inmates? The Athens County Reentry Task Force has looked at these and other issues in a position paper that can be read by clicking here.

Recommendations from the Athens County Reentry Task Force
To read a report detailing some of the recommendations from the Athens County Reentry Task Force, click here.

Report on the task force's activities during its first full year of operations
To read a report on the activities of the Athens County Reentry Task Force during its first year, click here.

OTHER TYPES OF PUBLICATIONS:

2010-2011 Annual Report
Our annual report shows how the need for assistance in Athens County increased again this year. The report also provides information on all of our programs and services.

ACJFS Prevention, Retention and Contingency (PRC) Plan

The goal is to provide an assistance program to families while encouraging self-sufficiency and preventing dependency.  The program is designed to operate with as much flexibility as possible for the eligibility worker and the family needing assistance. The PRC assistance group must be TANF eligible.  This may include, but not limited to, having a child present in the home to qualify for PRC.