Back in the early '90s, I talked with a small manufacturer about NAFTA. Among the topics, he brought up that he tried out a state program that paid him some bucks if he hired people on welfare. It turned out they were so pist off at being kicked off welfare, they sabotaged his machinery, costing him far more than the state subsidy.
The problem with these “welfare to work” programs is that the people often lack basic job skills; they are a constant source of tension with real workers. For many, welfare was to be the career (and pregnancy in high school was a key factor in that); actual learning never fit in the plan.
Seeing them attempt to work is very disheartening; I could imagine what they feel like. The inferiority complex it produces inevitably leads to lashing out...