Legal Definitions - Aid to Families with Dependent Children

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) was an obsolete federal assistance program in the United States designed to provide financial support to low-income families with children who lacked parental support due to death, absence, or incapacity. Established as part of the Social Security Act of 1935, it was a joint federal-state initiative, meaning the federal government provided funding, and individual states managed the program's administration and benefit distribution. AFDC aimed to ensure a basic level of income for vulnerable families, primarily single-parent households, to help them meet essential needs like food, shelter, and clothing. This program was replaced by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in 1996.

• Example 1: In the mid-1980s, Maria, a single mother of two young children in California, lost her factory job. With no other income and struggling to pay rent and buy groceries, she applied for government assistance to keep her family afloat.

  Explanation: Maria would have applied for Aid to Families with Dependent Children. If eligible, AFDC would have provided her family with a monthly cash benefit to help cover their basic living expenses, reflecting the program's purpose of supporting needy families with dependent children during periods of financial hardship.

• Example 2: In 1975, the Johnson family in Ohio, consisting of two parents and three school-aged children, faced an unexpected crisis when Mr. Johnson was laid off from his manufacturing job, and Mrs. Johnson was a stay-at-home parent. Their savings quickly dwindled, making it difficult to provide for their children.

  Explanation: The Johnson family, with dependent children and a sudden lack of income, would have been potential beneficiaries of Aid to Families with Dependent Children. The program would have offered temporary financial aid to help them maintain their household and ensure the children's well-being until Mr. Johnson could secure new employment.

• Example 3: During a university lecture on social welfare policy in the early 1990s, a professor discussed the ongoing debates about reforming "welfare." She highlighted how critics often pointed to AFDC's structure as potentially disincentivizing work, while proponents emphasized its role as a crucial safety net for children in poverty.

  Explanation: In this context, "Aid to Families with Dependent Children" refers to the specific federal-state program that was the subject of significant public and political debate regarding its effectiveness and impact on families before its eventual replacement. The discussion illustrates AFDC's historical prominence as the primary form of cash assistance for poor families with children for several decades.