Welfare State Growing Despite Overhauls

Shannon Stanfield poses with her daughter Maddy, left, and her son John at her home in Clinton, N.Y., Sunday, Feb. 18, 2007. Stanfield is a former welfare recipient who was accepted into the Access Project, a program that offers a free college education to welfare-eligible parents in central New York. (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli) (Kevin Rivoli - AP)

Horn, however, said he would like to see local welfare agencies provide more education and training to people who have already moved from welfare to work.

"I think more attention has to be paid to helping those families move up the income scale, increasing their independence of other government welfare programs," Horn said.

"The true goal of welfare to work programs should be self-sufficiency."

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On the Net:

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/acf_services.html walia

Medicaid: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/home/medicaid.asp

Food stamp program: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/

Supplemental Security Income:

http://www.ssa.gov/notices/supplemental-secur

ity-income/

The Access Project: http://www.hamilton.edu/college/access/index.

html