The welfare system in the United States is designed to help families and individuals who are in need of financial assistance. The US welfare program started in the 1930′s during the Great Depression. The history of the system is very interesting. For the first sixty one years of the program it was run by the government. During this time there were a lot of loop holes that allowed people to take advantage fo the situation. However in 1996, under the direction of President, Bill Clinton, the program was pushed back to the states.
Once the control of the system was pushed back to the states, a program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was created. The purpose of the program is to give grant money to each state so they can run their own welfare program. Since each state has a different welfare program, the requirements also differ.
In order get on the welfare system, there are several requirements that most people must meet. To begin with you need to be 21 years-old and must find work within two years of applying for the program. For single parents, they must work at least 30 hours per week and a couple must work between 35 and 55 hours per work.