This kit is available from The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in a DVD/CD-ROM version via post mail, or sections can be downloaded via the weblink. The kit provides practice principles about integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders, an approach that helps people recover by offering mental health and substance abuse services at the same time in one setting. Users are provided suggestions from successful programs.

This report provides the results of a large-scale national survey about the extent of substance abuse and mental health issues in the U.S. In 2012, it was found that approximately 22.2 million people over the age of 12 were dependent on a substance and the three most common substances used were marijuana, pain killers, and cocaine. This data indicated an increase in the number of people abusing pain killers from the previous year.

This document provides the findings from a six-year study conducted in New York City on the ability of substance abusing TANF participants to obtain a job and remain employed. It was found that the overwhelming majority of substance abusing participants were not exempted from work requirements due to their substance use. One quarter of participants with substance use issues found and maintained employment. Case management is touched upon as an important component to working with this hard-to-serve population.

This document offers information on substance use and co-occurring disorders through the lens of child welfare and child safety. Information on funding related to the Affordable Care Act is covered as well as understanding substance abuse data, direct practice concepts and evidence-based practices and promising interventions currently in use. State and local programs are highlighted for readers.

In Colorado, TANF provides funding to a substance abuse treatment program called New Directions for Families at the Arapahoe House treatment facility. Substance abuse intervention and transitional housing assistance is provided for mothers and their dependent children with a focus on achieving self-sufficiency. In the latter half of the program, employment is emphasized and mothers are expected to be working as they complete treatment.

Kentucky's Targeted Assessment Program (TAP) is a partnership between the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) and the University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research to assess and support TANF participants struggling with significant barriers to work, including substance abuse and mental health issues. The model uses specialists who administer a comprehensive assessment designed to fully capture any barriers to work and then collaborate with other systems to engage participants in evidenced based interventions. This program has been in place since 1999.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service released a report that examines the effects of disabilities on household food security. The research focuses on adults who are unable to work due to their disabilities and adults with disabilities that do not necessarily prevent employment. Results indicated that food insecurity was more prevalent among households with working-age adults with disabilities.

In April 2014, the Institute for Research on Poverty released a discussion paper that explores the receipt of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) among low-income households. The research is based on data from the first two waves of the Michigan Recession and Recovery Survey (MRRS), a panel survey of working-age adults in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. The study examined how low-income families in the Detroit Metropolitan Area combined SNAP with other forms of public assistance during the Great Recession and analyzed the relationship between the receipt of SNAP assistance and food shopping behaviors.

The Institute for Research on Poverty recently released a short report that provides an overview of the evidence on employment instability in the United States. The report also includes information about some opportunities and challenges facing policymakers and researchers interested in promoting employment stability in the current economic and political context.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently held a workshop to examine the broadband needs of rural populations, including the unique challenges of deploying and adopting broadband in rural areas. The event included panel discussions on the economic, educational, and healthcare benefits of deployment and adoption of broadband.