On September 1, 1997, Wisconsin implemented one of the most ambitious welfare reform programs in the nation--Wisconsin Works (W-2). As the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, W-2 replaces the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, TANF’s predecessor. Between September 1997 and March 1998 all AFDC cases were closed and clients interested in converting to W-2 were given an opportunity to do so.

Hudson Institute analysts wanted to know how the new program affected the lives of former AFDC recipients in Milwaukee County. Four foundations--Annie E. Casey, Edna McConnell Clark, Charles Stewart Mott, and Smith Richardson--supported the Institute’s effort to ascertain the answers. Hudson Institute contracted with Mathematica Policy Research Inc. (MPR) to assist in designing and conducting a study to assess the following characteristics of former AFDC recipients:

• Their experiences converting from AFDC to W-2

• The nature and level of their participation in W-2 and other assistance programs about a year after W-2 implementation

• Their employment and income about a year after W-2 implementation

• Other measures of their well-being

Hudson and MPR developed a telephone survey with questions pertaining to these four topics. A random sample of 400 cases was drawn from the population of all families residing in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, who received an AFDC cash benefit in August 1997. Two hundred ninety-six individuals (74% of the sample) completed the survey interview between October 1998 and March 1999.