This American Public Human Services Association and Chapin Hall “Evidence to Impact” tool provides examples of state policy options aligned with peer-reviewed research, organized by the policy levers at agencies’ disposal, including macroeconomic supports (Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, minimum wage, paid family leave, employment and job creation), concrete supports (child care, housing, health care, flexible funds, direct cash transfers), and public assistance programs (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children). Used in concert with meaningful policy and practice improvement efforts, this policy tool allows jurisdictions to assess their current policy landscape and consider future opportunities to expand access to economic and concrete supports as a primary prevention strategy.

Jurisdictions are increasingly using funding in innovative ways to meet the economic and concrete needs of families as a child welfare prevention strategy. Concrete supports are provided further upstream to families at risk for child welfare involvement. While there is variation in when and how these flexible dollars are used by child welfare agencies to strengthen families, this Chapin Hall policy brief highlights efforts in Kentucky, Indiana, and Wisconsin to integrate and expand flexible funds as a core component of their prevention continuum.

The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) is hosting a webinar on April 8, 2024 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to provide an overview of CAPE-Youth's new mental health policy brief. Speakers from the White House Domestic Policy Council and state governments will highlight ways that policymakers can:

• Expand culturally responsive mental health care;
• Increase access to mental health supports; and
• Embed mental health programs and supports into workforce systems.

This Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation brief provides a graphical overview of some of the TANF policy differences across states and territories. It includes information about initial eligibility, benefit amounts, work and activity requirements, and ongoing eligibility and time limits. This brief is a companion to the 2022 Welfare Rules Databook.

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) wants to inform you of an exciting opportunity to provide input and feedback for consideration into the design and implementation of the pilot programs and work outcomes measures for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, enacted as sections 302 and 304 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. 

OFA has issued a Request for Information, and we want to hear your voice. Your individual input will help ACF better understand options, opportunities and potential challenges in building and carrying out the pilot program and the reporting of new statutory work outcomes measures applicable to all states. This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of ACF or HHS. 

We look forward to incorporating your meaningful input and recommendations by the comment deadline of January 11, 2024. As ACF continues to gather input, questions, and comments from all interested parties, we will also continue to alert you to new resources, guidance, and updates as we post them to our FRA Implementation page. 

States have discretion and flexibility in how they use TANF funds to provide services to families experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness. Some states partner with their state-level housing departments, direct providers of homelessness services, local public housing agencies, and/or Continuums of Care (specifically Emergency Solutions Grants programs). This research-to-practice brief includes findings from a 2019 state TANF administrators survey, a review of state TANF plans, and a county TANF administrator survey highlighting differences between state and county approaches to identifying and assisting families experiencing homelessness.

This brief from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation presents graphics to illustrate variations among state TANF policies that are identified in the Welfare Rules Database. Visual depictions include comparisons on initial eligibility, benefit amounts, work and activity requirements, and ongoing eligibility and time limits for TANF recipients.