Fostering TANF/WIOA Collaboration: Tulare County, California

This is an updated brief from the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) 2018 TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series that described collaboration strategies between Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs to serve populations with low incomes. These updated briefs were developed through follow-up outreach and interviews to explore how TANF/WIOA collaborations have been sustained over time and have evolved as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each brief features a success story and includes snapshot infographics depicting TANF and WIOA data.

Communication between the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA) and the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County (WIB) was the primary reason for this collaboration’s success. The seamless transition to a virtual work environment and virtual service delivery by both agencies continued to meet their customer needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief notes how the pandemic inspired the County’s successful Reverse Referral Process, while implementing a “no wrong door approach.”