A representative from the Connecticut Department of Social Services would like to know if any TANF lead agencies use “housing search” as an approved work activity for homeless or transitional housing TANF participants.

The Peer TA Network would like to know how TANF agencies engage eligible immigrant, refugee, and limited English proficient TANF populations for work activities? Do agencies have innovative programs to address these populations?

A representative from the Arkansas Division of Public Assistance would like to know what states currently, or plan to, consider TANF participants in a countable work activity if they are providing childcare for the child of another TANF participant engaged in unpaid work activities?

Colorado is requesting assistance in researching what legal issues have come up across the country regarding religious beliefs and TANF work requirements. The state has a new applicant family (two parent family) for Colorado Works that is Sunni Muslim. Their belief is that the woman should not work outside the home and her responsibility is to care for the children and home. Colorado would like to know if other states have had issues in this area (without regard to a particular religion), but with any religious beliefs and what the result has been, including how states have handled such cases. Have there been lawsuits and if so, what is the decision of the court?

How are other states defining their work activities? Specifically, we would like to hear from states who have their own definition of work activities and how they are defined instead of statutory language.