"Underneath the political rhetoric and welfare statistics are real live human beings who are trying to make sense out of their lives." These are the words of author Karen Seccombe, as she attempts to elucidate the experiences of welfare recipients and the hardships that continue to plague them with the institution of the new welfare reforms. Provides readers with stories from welfare recipients' themselves: how they got onto welfare, what the reality of welfare (and welfare reform) is for them, and what their plans, hopes, and dreams are for the future. Welfare recipients who were interviewed by the author shared their perspectives on work requirements, family caps, time limits, and other features of TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) -- the new welfare reform program. Their voices provide a crucial counterpoint to the politicians and policy "experts" who have shaped the policy reform initiative. These qualitative interviews are supplemented with up-to-date statewide and national data on welfare reform and its consequences. Social workers, social policy specialists, welfare workers, politicians, and educators and researchers in the field of social policy and welfare reform.A Longwood Professional Book.