This Office of Family Assistance video from the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program highlights the role of navigators who help HPOG participants address barriers to healthcare careers. The video presents innovative case management techniques in King County, Washington, a grantee of the HPOG program.

This MDRC brief examines the implementation and impact of Washington State’s Division of Child Support (DCS) “personalized” approach for establishing and enforcing child support orders. The approach focuses on providing an alternative compliance mechanism beyond the “service of process” – a formal legal procedure that outlines the amount the noncustodial parent must pay each month. The “personalized” approach aims to lessen distrust which reduces compliance among noncustodial parents and calls for a more cooperative relationship with the noncustodial parent to include: a specialized unit of caseworkers, pre-service outreach phone calls, a follow-up letter to parents not reached by phone, and a new cover sheet that is included in the child support order.

This case statement highlights the American Job Center and its WIOA affiliates (called WorkSource) in the Pacific Mountain Workforce Region of Washington (PacMtn). In collaboration with state agencies and community partners, WorkSource offers three program tracks—work ready, work support, and education—to TANF customers based on their level of work readiness. Program staff also take a client-centered, integrated service delivery approach to address the needs of high-barrier customers. PacMtn WorkSource continues to strengthen its collaborations with a shared data system and regular meetings with all internal and external partners.

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 National League of Cities issue brief identifies the challenges that mental illness, substance abuse, and homelessness present to local communities. The brief profiles innovative approaches that city leaders have taken, including first responder-provider partnerships, first responder-led referral programs, and regional dedicated emergency psychiatric facilities. Examples are presented of how these approaches are tailored to the unique community needs in Seattle, Washington; Gloucester, Massachusetts; and Alameda County, California.