This National Governors Association policy brief examines the lessons learned from the Parents and Children Thriving Together: Two-Generation State Policy Network (PACTT Network). Initially convened in 2016, the PACTT Network is a policy academy that created and implemented two-generation strategies to address intergenerational poverty. The policy academy included state representatives from Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Oregon.

The Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison will host a webinar on January 15, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT to discuss the Pathways to Prosperity and Well-Being program. This program is a comprehensive systems transformation approach that addresses policy formulation, program management and supervision, and program implementation and practice. The webinar will include presentations from representatives of human services agencies in Olmsted and Dakota counties in Minnesota, as well as discussions by evaluators from the University of Minnesota’s Future Services Institute about the program’s design and initial implementation.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration will host a webinar on December 18, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to discuss current and future competency model initiatives. Speakers from the Competency Model Peer Learning Group will share real-time examples and program innovations. The interactive webinar will also provide opportunities for participants to offer their own experiences, raise questions, and share feedback on future initiatives.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report examines the Minnesota Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (MSTED) program that is designed to increase employment outcomes for persons who receive benefits for more than six months under the state’s Minnesota Family Investment Program (Minnesota’s TANF program). This implementation study looked at the outcomes from November 2014 to December 2016 in three counties to identify gains in employment and earnings, reduced receipt of public assistance, and overall well-being. The study also analyzed how participants and employers experienced the program in terms of engagement and retention.

The Anoka County Job Training Center is the only WIOA job center serving the county. It houses all public assistance programs, including TANF (called the Minnesota Family Investment Program), on-site WIOA partners, and child care services in the same building. As described in this brief, the Center has implemented strategies to streamline service delivery and co-enrollment among these programs, including a universal program application, a team of intake and eligibility specialists, and cross-program practices for adapting resources to meet client needs. This site also offers a rich mix of youth programming, such as employment and training opportunities for out-of-school and in-school youth, and a Human Services Youth Team to focus on young TANF recipients.

Sections of the brief discuss joint service delivery, resource sharing, shared learning, and managing collaborative activities. Readers may also access links to the state TANF plan and funding information for more context and resources. This brief is part of the TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series, through which the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative seeks to highlight innovative coordination strategies of TANF and WIOA programs to serve low-income or vulnerable populations.

This Urban Institute report highlights qualitative data to explain the reasons why low-wage workers apply for public assistance initially. The report is drawn from interviews with 40 individuals who recently separated from low-wage work and received or participated in Medicaid, SNAP, the Minnesota Family Investment Program, cash assistance, or unemployment insurance. The focus of the study is to understand why workers lose or leave low-wage work and how these workers get by on low and fluctuating income; these factors can determine worker outcomes for receiving assistance and improved outcomes for self-sufficiency.