A Question About TANF 50/50 Match Employment and Training Programming

The Administration for Children and Families, along with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, hosted a webinar in April 2022 to highlight contemporary housing challenges impacting families with low incomes. This webinar provided background information on the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program as well as discussed how TANF programs and ERA grantees can build and sustain partnerships to expand housing services. Presenters provided an overview of the ERA funding stream and TANF program, principles for TANF and ERA stakeholders to build partnerships to improve housing stability, and an example of community activities used to build and sustain partnerships.

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) PeerTA hosted a “TANF Next Practices: Lessons from COVID-19 Informing Innovation and Modernization” webinar on March 23, 2022. This webinar provided a discussion platform for TANF programs just starting to think about program innovation and modernization, as well as those deep into the journey. PeerTA and the American Public Human Services Association facilitated discussion with three TANF programs at various stages of innovation and modernization that shared their experiences and how COVID-19 has impacted their journey.

In this webinar, participants:
• Became familiar with the history of TANF modernization approaches
• Considered what state and local human services agencies have developed as TANF Modernization Core Principles and Strategies
• Discussed the experiences of different state and local TANF agencies as they innovate and modernize during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Identified next steps in their own TANF innovation and modernization journey
• Understood how to request PeerTA assistance to assist in these efforts

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted the Using the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund webinar on March 8 and 9, 2022. Separate sessions were held for states, tribes, and territories that administer PEAF funds. Established by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, PEAF provides funding to states, tribes administering a TANF program, and all five U.S. territories to assist needy families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to use funds to provide certain non-recurrent, short term benefits.

During these webinars, OFA shared its newly developed brief, Responding to Winter Utility Needs: Using the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund and discussed how PEAF grantees can blend and braid PEAF allocations with other federal funds to help families with high utility costs. Current PEAF grantees also shared their PEAF experiences, and the webinar concluded with a facilitated discussion.

In this webinar, participants:

• Learned different approaches for distributing PEAF-funded cash assistance.
• Explored how COVID-19 impacted energy security for low-income families and how the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund can help.
• Heard from PEAF grantees who have allocated resources to help low-income families with utility assistance and other needs.

Each webinar was tailored to states, tribes, and territories administering PEAF resources.

Please note: Webinar recording for territories is unavailable. Please review the PowerPoint slides and/or watch the recording of the state webinar (see link below).

This Office of Family Assistance brief discusses the potential for the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) to support needy families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and by unusually high heating costs this winter. The brief is presented in a question and answer format and addresses:

• Why are energy costs higher than normal? 

• How has COVID-19 impacted energy security for low-income families?

• How can the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund help?

• How can PEAF be used to help families with energy costs? and

• How can grantees strategically use remaining PEAF allocations along with other federal funds?

The Office of Family Assistance published data tables which show TANF and Separate State Programs-Maintenance of Effort (SSP-MOE) caseloads separately as well as combined by state and at the national level from October 2020 through June 2021. The tables are cross-tabbed to include total numbers of recipients, adult recipients, child recipients, families, one-parent families, two-parent families, no parent families, and monthly caseload data.

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) and the Office of Community Services (OCS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have recently announced the COVID and Safety Net Innovation (CASI) TA Initiative. This new endeavor will delve into the resiliency of the safety net, exploring new approaches that support the economic and social needs of vulnerable families, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the COVID and Safety Net Innovation TA Initiative, partnerships between federally funded state, local, or tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs and Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) eligible entities or CSBG Direct Funded Tribal recipients will receive Technical Assistance (TA) to develop strategic and targeted action and implementation plans related to a specific safety net concern.

The deadline to nominate or self-nominate to participate in CASI is Tuesday, December 21, 2021. To receive further information about CASI, including instructions for the short nomination process, please email CASIsites@blhtech.com.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this plenary session, attendees heard first-hand from ACF leadership about the collaborative efforts across ACF agencies to maximize American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to meet the needs of vulnerable families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this plenary, OFA officials began with a refresher on a range of TANF program policies, particularly those related to work requirements. Following this refresher, officials answered TANF policy questions from attendees.