(Jan. 17, 2012) 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.

(Nov. 15, 2011) Annual Report shows increase in Athens County residents needing assistance Our annual report details how the need for assistance in Athens County increased again this year. The report also provides information on all of our programs and services. Click here to read the 2010-2011 Annual Report.

(Aug. 24, 2011) 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.

(July 22, 2011) Ohio residents can now apply online for assistance, make changes to their cases online The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has created a new website that allows state residents to apply for food assistance, cash assistance and Medicaid through one simple form. Ohio residents can also now complete interim reports for their cases, fill out forms to reapply for services and report changes to their cases online. Click here to read more about all of the different services offered by the new online system.

( April 25, 2011) 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.

(March 25, 2011) 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.

(March 9, 2011) 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.

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.