ABSTRACT
The passage of welfare reform legislation in 1996 signaled a major shift in American domestic policy designed to reduce dependency on public assistance by promoting employment and self-sufficiency. In order to more effectively address the employment issues related to welfare reform, the 1998 federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) was passed to increase attention on dependency reduction for low-income individuals. Over the past decade, the employment component of social service agencies and the low-income service component of private industry councils (PICs) have shared common objectives and target populations. In some locations the two organizations have actually merged. By partnering, they have provided universal access to integrated services in one-stop employment centers. The purpose of the one-stop center is to increase the continuity of client services, reduce service fragmentation, develop jobs that promote self-sufficiency, and strengthen community capacity to benefit from a growing economy.
