[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 166 (Wednesday, October 25, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15700-S15701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                            WELFARE TO JOBS

 Mr. BREAUX. Mr. President, we have heard a lot of horror 
stories about how bad the welfare system is, how it discourages people 
from getting married, finding work, and taking responsibility for 
themselves and their children. I would agree that the system needs an 
overhaul, and that is why I worked so hard on the Senate welfare reform 
bill we passed just last month. But I also believe that, within this 
broken system, there are many places that have already begun to 
experiment with innovative solutions to their welfare problems. And 
some of these initiatives are working--they are getting people off of 
welfare and into jobs.
  One of the best examples of this success is what is happening right 
now in my State of Louisiana. Since October 1990, the number of 
families in Louisiana receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children 
has dropped 20 percent. A report issued by the Public Welfare 
Association in 1994 ranked Louisiana last in the country in AFDC 
caseload growth for 1989 through 1993. Last in the country. That is 
good news.
  And that is due in large part to Project Independence, our statewide 
program that moves families from welfare dependency to independence. 
Project Independence provides transportation and child care--absolutely 
essential elements in moving people from welfare to work. It helps 
participants build up self-esteem by showing them their own ability to 
succeed in the work world. It also helps participants receive their 
GED's or high school diplomas, associate or 4-year degrees, or skill 
training, and builds their resumes through community service.
  One Project Independence Program in particular, the Hamilton Terrace 
Learning Center in Shreveport, has been singled out for its outstanding 
success. Tomorrow, Vice President Gore will name this second-chance 
high school a winner of an Innovations in American Government Award 
from the Ford Foundation and the John F. Kennedy School of Government 
at Harvard University. This prestigious award honors 15 initiatives 
each year that have developed effective, creative solutions to 
important social and economic problems. It carries with it a $100,000 
grant to disseminate information about Hamilton Terrace and encourage 
its replication.
  I have had the opportunity to visit Hamilton Terrace twice and each 
time, I was impressed by the dedication of the staff and the motivation 
of the students.
  Hamilton Terrace Learning Center puts adult welfare recipients and 
students expelled from other local high schools in the same classes, 
where the adults convey a strong message to the teens on the importance 
of taking school seriously and avoiding some of the mistakes they made. 
At the same time, the teens give the welfare mothers a fresh look back 
at their own behavior, and give them a better sense of the role they 
can play in preventing their children from making the same mistakes. 
Putting these two groups together brings out a strong sense of 
responsibility in both.
  The curriculum combines traditional academic courses with vocational 
training in fields such as food service, travel and tourism, health 
care, and child care. Classes are longer and about half the normal size 
to allow teachers time to get to know their students better. Lessons 
are tailored individually to each student's particular learning style. 
On Fridays, students either spend their time in community service or in 
counseling to work on specific academic concerns, and teachers meet for 
training and to work on solutions to problems they are facing in the 
classroom.
  And it is all work-oriented. A school-to-work coordinator works 
closely with the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce to assist every student 
in planning a course of study that will result in a good job after 
graduation. Every graduate is guaranteed a job or enrollment in post-
secondary training.
  Their success has been outstanding. Of the school's 118 graduates 
from the 

[[Page S15701]]

class of 1994, 71 percent went on to college. Of the 58 graduates who 
were on welfare, all but 7 are working or in college. At 21 percent, 
the school's dropout rate is considerably lower than the State average 
of 51 percent--and that's particularly good if you consider that most 
students failed in the traditional system.
  Hamilton Terrace's success is well-known across Louisiana, and I am 
proud that it will be recognized nationally as well. It is an 
outstanding example of the real successes that are going on all around 
us. I congratulate its principal, John Baldwin, and all of its staff 
and students for their good work.

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