TANF Directors Pacific Northwest Meeting: Tribal TANF Case Management, September 2014

Record Description
On September 3 - 4, 2014, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), held a meeting titled the “2014 Tribal TANF Case Management Meeting” in Tulalip, Washington. This meeting provided staff from Tribal TANF and workforce development agencies with structured forums and presentations about TANF case management, case plan development, client engagement strategies, and service delivery with the goal of transitioning hard-to-serve clients out of poverty. The presenters were Region X ACF staff and Tribal leaders. Participants were able to engage with ACF administrative staff to gain in-depth guidance on financial management, as well as network with other Tribal TANF agencies.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2014-11-23T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2014-11-24
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Attachment Size
Final Summary Report 1.18 MB
Agenda 932.33 KB

Tribal Child Support and Tribal TANF- Beyond the Basics

Record Description

On April 22, 2014, the Administration for Children and Families' Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Division of Tribal TANF Management and the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) hosted a webinar, "Tribal Child Support and Tribal TANF: Beyond the Basics." This webinar was a continuation of OFA and OCSE's introductory webinar on the goals and objectives of the Tribal TANF and Tribal Child Support programs hosted in July 2013. The "Tribal Child Support and Tribal TANF: Beyond the Basics" webinar focused on topics such as: organizational structure and location; communication and coordination; policies and procedures; finances and shared resources; systems; outcomes; and challenges. Additionally, this webinar provided a valuable chance for Tribal staff to learn more about partnership opportunities between Tribal TANF and Tribal Child Support programs and to hear from current Tribal TANF and Tribal Child Support program administrators from the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2014-04-22T10:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2014-04-01
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Attachment Size
Webinar Transcript 136.03 KB
Powerpoint Presentation 921.37 KB
Innovative Programs

Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) Athabascan Self-Sufficiency Assistance

Mission/Goal of Program

The Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) Tribal TANF program is known as the Athabascan Self-Sufficiency Assistance Partnership (ASAP) and is part of the TCC's P.L. 102-477 program. The Tribal TANF service area is the largest in the country and the program faces particular challenges because it includes 37 Tribes, many remote areas, as well as a large urban population in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) is located in Fairbanks, Alaska and 37 federally recognized Interior Alaska Tribes, covering a total of 235,000 square miles of Alaska. To meet the urban needs, TCC has developed a "one-stop" where participants can access most social services in one building. The center operates under a "front office/back office" model in which families are helped directly in the front office and Tribal staff manage the administrative issues and combined funding streams to meet customer's needs in the back office. TCC has arranged staff according to function, not program, and has created open air work environments, which display the collaboration between programs. In each of the 37 remote villages, TCC has created a half-time position called a Tribal Workforce Development Specialist (TWDS). The TWDS represents the single point of contact for all social service programs provided by TCC and the State (TANF, SNAP, General Assistance, Energy Assistance, etc.). TWDS are trained through on-site, intensive internships at the TCC central office in Fairbanks upon employment.

Programs/Services Offered

This program provides a variety of financial assistance, including:

  • General Assistance: The program provides some financial assistance to help pay for shelter, utilities, food and clothing costs during the months when there are few employment opportunities. 
  • Burial Assistance: Burial assistance provides financial assistance to help with funeral costs up to $2,500.00 which $400 can be used for potlatch supplies.
  • Emergency Assistance: Emergency assistance provides $1000 per household in the event that someone’s home has been damaged by flood or fire.

Each year, TCC organizes a region-wide event that TCC calls GILA "(Let's GO!)," which brings all of TCC's TANF participants together to one location in Fairbanks for employment workshops and resume updates, and to participate in a job fair in a motivational and exciting atmosphere. Though this is expensive, most participants leave the "GILA" with subsidized employment. The "GILA" is financed by program cost savings throughout the year. Additionally, TCC maintains a good working relationship with the State. The programs work together to co-train staff from each organization. Additional support for TANF participants who earn subsidized employment occurs through deployment of contracted Job Coaches who motivate and mentor participants.

TCC helps many participants find employment, some full-time and some seasonal. Even if a participant is employed seasonally, TCC creates a financial boost for their family. If TCC helps participants find seasonal employment for three months, the program saves money by not spending it on cash assistance for those three months. The cost savings are used to provide an expanded level of supportive services and to finance the subsidized employment aspect of the program.

Start Date
Thursday, October 1, 1998
Type of Agency/Organization
Other
City
Fairbanks
State
Alaska
Geographic Reach
Multisite
Clientele/Population Served
Tribal TANF participants (Income eligible families in which the head of household is a member of, or eligible for membership in a federally recognized Tribe and resides in the service area).
Topics/Subtopics
TANF Program Administration
Tribal TANF
Employment
Question / Response(s)

Question from Alaska Division of Public Assistance

Question Text

Has any state or county TANF program developed a single screening tool that could be used to identify families at risk of long-term reliance on TANF?

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Date
October 2005
Source
OFA Peer TA
Agency/Organization
Division of Public Assistance
State
Alaska
Topics/Subtopics
TANF Program Administration
TANF Regulatory Codes
Question / Response(s)

Question from Alaska Department of Health and Social Services

Question Text

Are there TANF programs that offer/make available micro-enterprise loans to their clients?

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Date
July 2005
Source
OFA Peer TA
Agency/Organization
Health and Social Services
State
Alaska
Topics/Subtopics
Asset Building
Microenterprise Development
TANF Regulatory Codes
Question / Response(s)

Question from Alaska Health and Social Services

Question Text

What States provide legal services to welfare recipients? Describe the types of legal services provided.

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Date
January 2001
Source
OFA Peer TA
Agency/Organization
Health and Social Services, DPA
State
Alaska
Topics/Subtopics
TANF Program Administration
TANF Regulatory Codes
Question / Response(s)

Question from Alaska Department of Health and Social Services

Question Text

A representative from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services would like to know which states are providing vehicle insurance to clients and what criteria do they use? What about high risk insurance services?

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Date
January 2001
Source
OFA Peer TA
Agency/Organization
Health and Social Services, DPA
State
Alaska
Topics/Subtopics
Transportation
TANF Regulatory Codes

Tanana Chiefs Conference: Data Collection and TANF Staff Collaboration

Record Description

In June 2012, the PeerTA Network collaborated with Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) to learn about their subsidized employment program and their efforts around data collection. The Tanana Chiefs Conference Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is called the Athabascan Self-Sufficiency Assistance Partnership (ASAP), which provides services to the Tribal members of 37 federally recognized Tribes in Alaska. These Tribal members face several challenges living primarily in very isolated rural communities with limited roads, infrastructure, and jobs.
 
Data Collection and TANF Staff Collaboration: This two-part podcast focuses on TCC's use of data to inform program practice and the development of TCC's logic model, a tool that allows staff to see the costs and benefits of their efforts. The logic model reflects the cultural values of the Tribe, such as self-sufficiency, hard work, respect, and care and provision for the family. TCC's goal is to take the data, convert it into useful and culturally sensitive information, and use it to keep their Tribal members informed.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2012-07-01T10:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2013-09-01

Tanana Chiefs Conference: Operating a Tribal TANF Subsidized Employment Program

Record Description

In June 2012, the PeerTA Network collaborated with Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) to learn about their subsidized employment program and their efforts around data collection. The Tanana Chiefs Conference Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is called the Athabascan Self-Sufficiency Assistance Partnership (ASAP), which provides services to the Tribal members of 37 federally recognized Tribes in Alaska. These Tribal members face several challenges living primarily in very isolated rural communities with limited roads, infrastructure, and jobs.
 

Operating a Tribal TANF Subsidized Employment Program: This podcast features Tanana Chiefs' subsidized employment program, which was initially started with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding and brought more than 160 people on the welfare rolls and gave them the opportunity to attain employment. TCC's success convinced the State of Alaska to expand its use of State funds and invest them to continue the program.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2013-08-31T20:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2013-09-01

Promising Pathways All-Site Orientation Meeting

Record Description

On October 18, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (OFA) convened an orientation meeting in Washington, D.C. for the Promising Pathways Initiative. The three primary meeting goals of the Promising Pathways All-Site Orientation Meeting were to orient site representatives to the Promising Pathways Initiative, provide hands-on, interactive training for site coordinators on how to define and document their practice using logic models, and plan the first intensive full team site visit. Participants included one or two representatives from each of the ten selected Promising Pathways sites, OFA staff, and ICF International site coaches and team staff. This executive summary describes the proceedings of the All-Site Orientation Meeting and includes the meeting agenda, participant list, and materials as appendices.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2011-09-30T20:00:00
Source
City/County
Publication Date
2011-10-01