This study was completed through the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, and explores how local management of TANF programs has adapted practices to address changing needs of the TANF population in the local areas. This study was conducted in five sites across the country, including Phoenix, Arizona; Macon, Georgia; Kansas City, Missouri; Newark, New Jersey and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Findings conclude that the implementation of TANF varies across the sites, and that programs will have upcoming changes in response to the Deficit Reduction Act.

This issue brief outlines the demographics of the 45,000 low-income households receiving food stamps in Washington, D.C. Additionally, the Urban Institute reviewed the average distance between the clients' households to the closest supermarket, concluding that the most affordable options may no be the most accessible to low-income neighborhoods.

The Brookings Institution released a report that reviewed the spatial distribution of the Earned Income Tax Credit in places that participated in the National Tax Assistance for Working Families Campaign. Findings include that across the sites, around 2 million families obtained more than $3.4 billion in EITC refunds in 2000. On average, the income of working families were increased by $1,700, or 13 percent. Additionally, in 1999, an estimated $212 million of EITC money was spent on paid tax preparers and refund anticipation loans across 27 of the sites.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Region III convened two strategic planning meetings in eastern Pennsylvania on February 12, 2004 and February 18, 2004 to provide information to county officials about the advantages of the Earned Income Tax Credit. This short summary provides a brief on the content of these meetings.

The purpose of these meetings was to collaborate on federal assistance programs, to encourage use of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and to promote self-sufficiency among needy families. It provided information to inform clients on asset-building strategies for families. By promoting job preparation, work, and marriage, dependency on government programs would be reduced.

This MDRC report describes the results of the Los Angeles program’s notable transformation from an earlier one focused heavily on remedial education into one that stresses rapid job placement and indicates that the changes have largely paid off. The gains are among the largest ever found in studies of full-scale welfare-to-work programs in one of the nation’s biggest cities.

Los Angeles' welfare caseload is larger than that of 48 of the 50 states. LA had a rigorous work participation requirement and developed policies to help move welfare recipients into jobs; over time, more recipients did go to work. However, most recipients still remained poor, and those who worked were usually in low-wage jobs without benefits. The challenge facing welfare policymakers is how to devise strategies to help low-wage workers acquire the skills needed to financially advance.

The National Center for Children in Poverty released a report that found that although cities offer many economic opportunities, children in urban areas are more likely be part of low-income families than those living in rural or suburban areas.

This research from MDRC reviews caseload dynamics for food stamps in Cuyahoga County, OH; Los Angeles, CA; Miami-Dade County, FL; and Philadelphia, PA. The data reviewed caseload data from 1993 to 2001, and found that across all sites, the food stamp caseload declined. Additionally, it was found that most recipients receive food stamps for at least seven months.

The child poverty rate in the 50 largest cities significantly increased between 1999 and 2004. Specifically, the child poverty rate in the 50 largest cities was 28 percent- compared to 18 percent nationally. From the Brookings Institution, this article reviews indicators of child wellbeing, including residing in single parent homes, in cities across the US.