Because families experience the safety net holistically, we need reform efforts that can be holistic as well.

That means we need to ask another question: “If we were designing this system from scratch, with the explicit goal of providing temporary help while aiding families toward work-based independence, what would it look like?”

That seemingly subtle change in our approach to the issue is the difference between slow, incremental revisions, and comprehensive aspirational reform. 

We need more of the latter, and fortunately a growing movement of state and national leaders, practitioners, and policymakers is making this more aspirational question not just a hypothetical or academic exercise, but a real opportunity to transform how this nation helps its poor.