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Caseload Numbers
In February 1998, Ramsey County distributed cash grants to 9,326 individuals. Of these, 754 (81 percent) lived in St. Paul.
Between January of 1996 and 1997, cash grant recipients declined by 9.7 percent, with most of the decline occurring in suburban Ramsey County. Over a longer period, from 1994 to 1997, the quarterly case average declined from 11,335 to 9,322 or nearly 22 percent. Basic Demographic Characteristics
Approximately 25 percent of the population receiving cash assistance in St. Paul is Asian, primarily Hmong, who arrived in the United States as refugees without formal education. A recent study conducted by Ramsey County concluded that the single most important factor contributing to long-term dependence on public assistance is lack of education. Families headed by adults without an education tend to have more children, fewer cars and fewer job skills than the average family on assistance.
The following statistics represent Ramsey County families (not individuals) receiving cash grant assistance from November 1996. They are not expected to be significantly different from current caseload characteristics.
- 83 percent of adult participants were female;
- The largest age group receiving cash grant assistance was 22-29 (37 percent), followed by 30-39 (35 percent). Fourteen percent were under the age of 22 and another 14 percent were aged 40 or older;
- 48 percent of participants did not have a high school degree and 12 percent had no formal school experience, which is attributed to the high percentage of recipients who are refugees without formal education;
- The average number of children was 2.4 for all families and 3.18 for Asian families;
- 30 percent of adult participants were either Asian (25 percent) or Latino (5 percent);
- 80 percent of participants were single parents;
- 75 percent of participants did not own a car;
- 18 percent of all families and 31 percent of those with no formal education (primarily Southeast Asian) lived in subsidized housing;
- 6 percent of all families and 20 percent of Southeast Asian families receiving AFDC also received SSI.
The median time span for families on AFDC was 40 to 59 months, almost twice as high as the state median. This is attributable to the large share of Southeast Asian immigrants receiving assistance.
The vast majority of people receiving cash grant assistance were not employed prior to full implementation of MFIP; 16 percent of cash grant recipients were employed as of November 1996.
Participants are likely to remain on assistance longer if they have a low education level, do not own a car, have larger families or are a refugee without any formal education (Ramsey County Welfare Reform Source Book, 1998).
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