Federal law permits American Indian tribes to operate the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for their members. That option entails benefits and advantages, but also risks and costs for tribes. This report discusses the benefits of tribal TANF operation, the challenges and problems tribes have encountered, and lessons from tribal experience. This report describes the experiences of 10 tribal grantees in planning, implementing, and operating TANF programs. It was prepared for the use of tribal, federal, and state officials, and other stakeholders in welfare reform in Indian country. The report is based on data collected between August 2001 and July 2002 through telephone interviews with all 10 tribal grantees, and subsequent in-depth site visits to three of them.

This report discusses the correlation between car ownership and work readiness.  The publication addresses car ownership and leverages it as an asset-building strategy for helping people move into the labor market and helping low-wage workers gain access to better paying opportunities. In addition, it provides profiles and experiences of seven car-ownership programs, along with a bibliography of additional publications on transportation and poverty.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) convened this forum in June 2008 to address and discuss current issues for disadvantaged children and families in a time where the Federal budget for such programs is decreasing. It is projected that Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security will dramatically increase as a share of the Federal budget, and the GAO was interested in learning about how disadvantaged families and children will fare.

This presentation was given as part of the Eleventh Annual Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference, which is sponsored through the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. Richard Fording, University of Kentucky, Sanford Schram, Bryn Mawr College, and Joe Soss, University of Wisconsin-Madison conducted this research to see how race influenced how a client was sanctioned in Florida. It was found that while TANF is a race-neutral policy, it can produce race-based disadvantage.

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairman and Vice Chair respectively of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), held a hearing on poverty in the United States. The JEC hearing entitled, “Leave No Family Behind: How Can We Reduce the Rising Number of American Families Living in Poverty?”, featured Mayor David N. Cicilline and poverty experts who examined whether the outdated Federal poverty measurements are preventing resources from reaching families and elderly Americans and what legislation may be appropriate to drastically reduce the number of U.S. families living in poverty. Since 2000, the number of Americans living in poverty jumped by 5.7 million to 37.3 million, and the poverty rate rose to 12.5 percent in 2007.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives just released this document, and the Center at The Department of Labor is pleased to pass it along to you. This document provides one more vital resource for the Faith-Based and Community Organization (FBCO) community. Previous works from both DOL as well as other federal agencies have highlighted working with the U.S. Government, local businesses and other community organizations. The publication provides one more tool for FBCOs to use. The guide provides practical information for State and local officials, as well as tribes and tribal-serving organizations, on developing and enhancing effective partnerships with FBCOs.

The Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families has released critical documents to inform State, Tribal and Territorial Title IV-B and IV-E agencies and Indian Tribes and Indian Tribal Organizations of the enactment of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 and to provide basic information about the provisions of this law.

This report is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation and is an evaluation of the Community Healthy Marriage Initiative. It focuses on the implementation of three projects funded through section 1115 grants from ACF’s Office of Child Support Enforcement. The report examines three different approaches to implementing a healthy marriage initiative and describes how various organizations leverage their strengths and abilities to implement their programs. The report includes demographic data on each of the program participants and if they are receiving TANF benefits.

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) is sponsored through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Administration for Children and Families. NCSACW works with States and Tribes to improve their service delivery for expanding cross-systems collaboration in an effort to improve outcomes for children and families in their states. TANF agencies can learn a framework, tools, and strategies for increasing cross-systems collaboration.

This presentation was given by Debra J. Rog, Ph.D at the Eleventh Annual Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. The Center for Economic Opportunity received an evaluability assessment, which measured the extent to which the program is ready for an implementation or outcome evaluation. This presentation outlines common themes that came out of the assessment.