Concerned that some states were promoting family break-ups by limiting cash assistance to only single-parent families, Congress passed the Family Support Act of 1988, which required all states to provide assistance to intact families through the AFDC Unemployed Parent program (AFDC-UP). This evaluation examines the effect of the mandatory program, four years after its inception. The authors examine what happened to the UP and AFDC Basic caseloads and what effect UP has had on family stability and child poverty.
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