We’re five years into the welfare-to-work era established by the federal welfare reform law and advocates for the poor say it’s done at least as much damage as it has done good. A coalition of about a dozen organizations says a five-year lifetime limit on receiving welfare benefits sounds good when economic times are god, but an economic downturn brings a new reality. One of the coalition’s member groups is the Missouri Association for Social Welfare, which says welfare tow ork does nothing for thousands of people, especially those with profound personal or health problems. The Association says the law focuses too much on getting people off welfare rolls and not enough on getting them out of poverty.
