Many families have left welfare for work, but many others have been cut off by sanctions for "noncompliance." According to this study, sanctions may jeopardize the health and food security of infants and toddlers, especially low-weight babies, at the most critical period in their development. The study found that even in relatively prosperous cities with generous welfare benefits, infants and toddlers living in sanctioned families are at significantly higher risk of acute hospitalizations and food scarcity than those in families whose benefits have not been decreased.
http://dcc2.bumc.bu.edu/csnappublic/Welfaresanctions.htm