Pennsylvania’s auditor general has come down hard on a program designed to help welfare recipients get into the workforce.
The Department of Public Welfare “special allowance” program, 75-percent funded with state tax dollars, provides resources such as books, tools, and clothing for welfare recipients in training programs.
During an 18-month period beginning in July 2006, auditor general Jack Wagner says, welfare offices in five counties including Philadelphia, Delaware, and Allegheny disbursed more than $200 million in special allowance payments.