Counties and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program
Record Description
This National Association of Counties (NACo) report discusses counties’ role in funding and administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program. The report also identifies counties’ challenges, including restraints by states limiting their ability to raise funds to meet social service needs.
Characteristics and Financial Circumstances of TANF Recipients, Fiscal Year 2017
Record Description
These tables provide information about adults and children receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). They include information regarding age, gender, race/ethnicity, etc. Data is also included on Separate State Program (SSP), Maintenance-of-Effort (MOE), active families and closed cases.
HHS Blog: Strong Social Networks Help to Eliminate Barriers to Economic Opportunity
Record Description
This blog from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, authored by OFA Director Clarence H. Carter, is part of the Self-Sufficiency Series: Solutions from the Field, which profiles local programs from across the country finding solutions to accomplish the goals of encouraging self-sufficiency and personal responsibility, eliminating barriers to economic opportunity, and supporting strong families and healthy marriage. In particular, Circles USA and Open Table are highlighted for their efforts to boost the social capital individuals need to help them work towards self-sufficiency.
Saving Penalties Push Families Deeper Into Poverty
Record Description
This report from Prosperity Now provides information about why creating savings penalties towards welfare programs such as SNAP and SSI actually harm families instead of aiding them. Studies have shown that low-income families with savings are able to more easily handle financial shocks. Most states are in the process of eliminating savings penalties due to the fact that eliminating them reduces administrative costs and caseloads.
State TANF Policies - A Graphical Overview of State TANF Policies as of July 2016
Record Description
This brief provides a graphical overview of selected state policy differences for TANF cash assistance. The Welfare Rules Database (WRD), a database maintained by the Urban Institute and funded by the OPRE and ACF, provides the information for this brief. The paper discusses policies related to initial eligibility, benefit amounts, and ongoing eligibility. Additional information about the resources the WRD offers is also included.
Welfare Indicators and Risk Factors: Seventeenth Report to Congress
Record Description
This report from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation is a required annual report to Congress on indicators and predictors of welfare dependence. The report provides data on benefits provided only by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Security Income, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The indicators reported on are mostly current through 2015, and some select indicators are current through 2016; the report summarizes the changes to the data over time.
Building Evidence Culture and Capacity in Federal Agencies
Record Description
This brief from the Urban Institute explores building evidence capacity within federal agencies, which has been identified as a priority within the 2017 report from the bipartisan Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking created by Congress. The brief explains how federal agencies can position themselves to establish, strengthen, and sustain evidence-building activities such as program evaluations. Current efforts of existing agencies are given.
Since 1998, the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has convened the Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS) to present the latest findings from evaluations of programs, policies, and services that support low-income and vulnerable families on the path to economic self-sufficiency. For nearly 20 years, the RECS been a leading forum for researchers, State and local administrators, practitioners, and Federal officials and policymakers to discuss cutting-edge research on family self-sufficiency and social welfare programs and policies. The next RECS, which will take place May 30-June 1, 2018, will provide an opportunity to gather in Washington D.C. and hear the latest findings from evaluations of social welfare programs and policies, discuss ways to incorporate findings into the design and implementation of programs, and develop strategies for future evaluations. The agenda for the three-day RECS includes six different session tracks (http://recsconference.net/2018agenda_detail.htm). The deadline for registration has been extended to May 17.
This blog post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) describes how the President’s proposed FY2019 budget request for ACF aims to strengthen the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. High priorities of the Trump Administration are encouraging work, changing the culture of dependence on government assistance, and reducing poverty. The President’s budget hopes to focus on work and support integrated approaches to helping families reach self-sufficiency.