The welfare system is designed to provide low income families with the services and assistance that they need to support themselves and acquire necessities. In addition to direct financial assistance, welfare programs may provide individuals with medical insurance, food stamps, family planning, and job training.
The amount of money that the government is spending on welfare programs in increasingly annually. Currently, over $550 billion dollars are dedicated to welfare programs annually. Unemployment insurance costs an additional $30 billion dollars. The amount of money needed to continue the operation of welfare programs is expected to increasing in coming years.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is one type of welfare program offered in the United States. This program receives over 5,600 applications every month, and less than half of these applications are approved.
Welfare statistics indicate that the majority of individuals depending on welfare are white, followed closely by black individuals, with only a 1 percent margin. Though welfare is intended to be a temporary assistance program for struggling individuals and families, statistics also suggest that a significant portion of the population relying on welfare continue to use welfare for an extended period of time.
Roughly 20 percent of welfare recipients continue to receive welfare benefits for over five years. The majority of recipients will obtain benefits for a period of 2-5 years. Less than 20 percent of recipients will stop acquiring welfare benefits within six months. Welfare statistics highlight some serious concerns that are frequently attributed to the welfare system.
