A powerful, new report from the National Council of Welfare shows that welfare can be harder to get today than 20 years ago. This means more people were forced into destitution to qualify for welfare in 2009, when the recession’s casualties were mounting. NCW Chairperson John Rook explained that the current set of welfare rules “creates the perfect trap, especially for single people.” Don Drummond, former Chief Economist of the TD Bank, added “Those in need must essentially first become destitute before they qualify for temporary assistance. But the record shows once you become destitute you tend to stay in that state.”