Abstract Twelve 2007

GLOBAL

DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

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Volume Four Winter 2006-Spring 2007 Numbers 3-4.

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Theme: Global Labor Migration and Emerging Trends in Development Finance: An Assessment of the

Economic and Social Impact of Migrant (Worker) Remittances in Central America and the Caribbean

THE EFFECT OF LABOR ON USAGE OF TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES SOCIAL

SERVICES PROGRAM FOR HISPANICS IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Christopher C. Mathis, Jr. Shobha Choudhari

South Carolina State University South Carolina State University

Orangeburg, S.C. 29117 Orangeburg, S.C. 29117

Published Online: February 10, 2017

ABSTRACT

The rapidly growing labor migration of Hispanics in South Carolina has forced the state to rethink its strategies toward providing social services to meet the growing needs of the Hispanic population. The research assessed the usage of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) social services program for Hispanics in South Carolina, by using data on the number of Hispanic people between the ages 12-65 years from the selected counties in two distinct regions, Piedmont and Coastal. The data was collected for four years from 2000 to 2003. The researchers compared the number of Hispanic participants in the TANF program in each county for four years, computed the percentage of the Hispanic participants and compared the trend over four years, and computed the changes in percentages of Hispanic participants by comparing the period with their previous years to determine the progress for each county in all four regions. Regarding the results, Greenville and Beaufort counties had the highest number of Hispanic participants in their respective regions; the percentages of Hispanic participants were lower in 2002 than in other years for all counties in Coastal regions; changes in 2003 compared to previous years were positive for all counties except for a few. This research will be helpful to develop a database and profile on Hispanic participants in TANF social services program, to understand how the increase in migration of Hispanics affected the usage of TANF services, and providing a benchmark for use by state agencies in providing services for Hispanic families to improve their quality of life.