Welfare to Work Milestone Recognized by Nikki Haley

At a press conference on Wednesday, Gov. Nikki Haley recognized the 18,000 South Carolinians who have gone from welfare to work since 2011. Haley was joined at the event by Department of Social Services (DSS) Director Lillian Koller, which took place at Akebono Brake Corporation, one of the companies which has hired former welfare recipients. Akebono is located in West Columbia.

A full list of the companies taking part in the initiative is attached to this story. Companies are listed by county.

“From the start, getting South Carolinians off welfare and back to work wasn’t about keeping compliance officers in Washington, D.C. happy – it was about getting our citizens back to work,” said Gov. Nikki Haley. “I give Director Koller a lot of credit for helping to change the culture from checking boxes and placement in entitlement programs to a commitment to placement in an actual jobs.”

Statistics on the 18,000 who have gone from welfare to work:

· The average job retention rate for former welfare recipients in South Carolina is now 94%.

· Of the recipients who left welfare with a job, 78% were on welfare for 12 months or less.

· The number of welfare recipients finding work is now 60% higher than it was before DSS started its jobs initiative.

· Welfare recipients in South Carolina typically get jobs that pay higher than minimum wage, averaging close to $9.00 an hour.  

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