Lived Experiences of Welfare Dependency, Systemic Entrapment, and the Fight for Dignity in U.S. Low-Income Policy

<p>This paper is poised to look into the welfare dependency situation and policy issues for low-income programming in America. The specific objectives include establishing the lived experiences and perceptions of individuals currently enrolled in welfare or low-income programs regarding their participation in these programs; establishing how socioeconomic, structural, and systemic factors contribute to welfare dependency and entrapment among individuals receiving welfare assistance; establishing the primary barriers and obstacles faced by individuals in transitioning away from welfare assistance towards self-sufficiency and independence: and propose the strategies and reforms to address welfare entrapment and promote economic empowerment within their communities. The Intersectionality theory is applied in this study with interviews of welfare assistance beneficiaries. The results indicate that welfare dependency has persisted due to a collection of factors relating to individual attitudes and choices, program deficiencies, and policy factors. More so to the generic nature of policies and program requirements rather than individual-focused needs assessment. To improve the situation, need policy review, program re-orientation to focus on addressing the personal needs of each individual beneficiary based on needs assessments.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation - Public Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Community Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• BROWN, ANGELA S.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Bradley Olson
• Dr. Judah Viola
• Dr. Tiffeny Jimenez

• Generational Poverty
• Welfare Entrapment
• Low-income Programming Policy
• Resilience Education
• Self-Suffienciecy
• Social Mobility
• Adult and Continuing Education
• Agricultural and Resource Economics
• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Civil Rights and Discrimination
• Clinical Psychology
• Community Psychology
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Curriculum and Social Inquiry
• Developmental Psychology
• Development Studies
• Education
• Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
• Family and Consumer Sciences
• Higher Education
• Organization Development
• Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration
• Other Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Personality and Social Contexts
• Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration
• Social Justice
• Social Welfare
• Urban Education
• Urban Studies
• Urban Studies and Planning

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/913

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.nl.edu:diss-1980