This fact sheet analyzes real-time data when examining the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on working families and draws from surveys with hourly service workers across the retail, food service, hospitality, house cleaning, delivery, and home health care industries. The fact sheet notes reductions in work hours and income, job loss, and overall family well-being due to COVID and stresses the importance of employers and government working to meet families’ needs.

This brief notes key issues that state TANF agencies can consider when using TANF funds for families impacted by COVID-19. The brief also identifies five examples of program options these agencies might use to implement non-recurrent benefits drawn from current state TANF fund allocations.

This notice for applications from the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association provides an example of the criteria and applications for non-recurrent Tribal TANF benefits. The notice identifies a regulatory definition of non-recurrent benefits as those created to address a particular crisis situation or episode of need, not intended to meet ongoing needs, and not extending beyond four months.

This fact sheet shows how a non-recurrent short-term benefit program could operate in Georgia in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples of how non-recurrent benefits might address emergency situations are presented and include short-term benefits to make up for lost wages, short-term rental or mortgage assistance, utility and energy assistance, housing search and placement services, and family support services. There is also a brief note about how non-recurrent TANF support during the pandemic might help boost incomes and help families not fall further behind during the ensuing economic dislocations.

This fact sheet illustrates how Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio offered non-recurrent short-term TANF benefits as flexible responses to address the needs of TANF-eligible populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sheet also briefly notes how Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, and Florida have implemented flexible adaptions to TANF work requirements. SNAP approved waivers are also highlighted.

This table outlines actions taken by state human service agencies to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic through greater flexibility in program administration. These actions include temporarily suspending work and job search requirements, extending emergency cash assistance, suspending time limits, streamlining applications and eligibility reviews, extending redetermination periods, providing alternatives for home visits, and suspending debt collections.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased unemployment rates in low-income populations, SNAP agencies must rapidly scale up and adapt their employment and training support systems amidst economic, public health, and regulatory uncertainties. On July 9, 2020 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, the American Public Human Services Association will host a webinar with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, American Enterprise Institute, and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to discuss SNAP Employment and Training programs and the continued effects of unemployment on SNAP agency operations as well as their surrounding communities and local job sectors.

This guide offers a framework and process for establishing a multi-system trauma-informed collaborative that addresses the impact of trauma on children and families. The guide identifies the collaborative as including the health care system as well as child welfare, education, early child development, first responder, and related systems; these components must support each other in policies and practices to best serve children exposed to violence and other adverse childhood trauma. The guide is designed for public agency administrators, local and state policy makers, trauma professionals, and other service stakeholders.

This blogpost provides guidance on lessons learned from implementing the MyGoals for Employment Success program, an employment coaching model that assists participants during the pandemic. The blogpost draws a structured set of relevant questions and answers that might be asked of coaches and managers of the MyGoals model and other social service programs. Topics include supporting participants with scheduling changes in light of lockdowns, transitions in client management, how to encourage participants with self-directed goal setting, accessing and paying for medications, working in an unsafe environment, receiving SNAP or unemployment insurance benefits, how to use online technology, and addressing grief.

This brief covers the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult employment and incomes among those that have encountered economic hardship and have been able to access unemployment benefits. The brief identifies the disproportionate losses by income and race and the time lag between filing for and receiving unemployment insurance benefits. The effects were measured by reviewing findings of the Coronavirus Tracing Survey, a nationally representative survey of nonelderly adults, which was conducted in May 2020.