The Brookings Institution and the National League of Cities hosted this forum to discuss the current economic climate in relation to urban areas. National economic recovery depends on recovery in metropolitan areas, and the United States cannot begin to rebuild the economy without healthy regional economies. City fiscal concerns are beginning to materialize as many metropolitan areas are facing budget crises. This forum was designed for experts to provide an overview of potential budgetary issues and the outlook for the future.

The following report describes the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Academy II that took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota from October, 26-29 2003 to continue partnerships and foster collaboration to improve service delivery and TANF implementation for families residing in urban areas.

The New York Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) requested technical assistance from the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network to help design and implement effective strategies to mitigate the effects of the recent economic downturn on low-income families. OTDA requested assistance in identifying strategies that other jurisdictions have taken to respond to the recession and how they have successfully utilized the TANF provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). A peer-to-peer roundtable was convened in Albany, New York July 14-15, 2009 during the National Association of Welfare Research and Statistics (NAWRS) Conference in order to highlight state perspectives and to document state uses of the TANF-related components of ARRA and effective strategies for implementation.

From Public/Private Ventures, this resource was designed for workforce development organization managers to work with their frontline staff to encourage the use of data entry and management to ultimately improve performance and outcomes for their participants. The goal of this resource is to strengthen staff on program outcomes, teach staff to understand the importance of data, and to encourage problem solving among staff. This resource includes 5 activities for managers to lead with their staff and also provides worksheets to accompany each activity.

The Economic Mobility Project authored this report on ways that students can increase their long-term earnings and the role of community colleges. Twenty-six percent of community college students come from low-income families, compared to 15 percent of four-year college students. Research shows that by receiving a community college degree, students can increase their earnings by an average of $7,900 annually, which is an earnings increase of 29 percent over those with a high school diploma.

Recently, the Colorado Works Program requested Technical Assistance from the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance (WPTA) Network, specifically on effective strategies for integrating subsidized employment programming into local Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. As a result, the WPTA Network hosted two conference calls in August and September for the Colorado Works Program by facilitating a peer-to-peer dialog with the Tennessee Department of Human Services, inquiring about its subsidized employment program, specifically its successful program in Perry County, Tennessee. During these calls, Paul Lefkowitz, Director, Family Assistance Policy, Tennessee Department of Human Services, and Jan McKeel, Executive Director, South Central Tennessee Workforce Alliance, provided an overview of a subsidized employment program that began in Perry County, Tennessee, in May 2009, through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, to the Technical Assistance Requestor—Mary Roberto, Section Manager, Colorado Department of Human Services, Colorado Works Program. Some of the topics of the program discussed on the conference calls include eligibility, working with employers, outreach and marketing, data collection, and replication and lessons learned.

This report provides an overview of the likely effects of increasing the severity of sanction and time-limit policies in California on the welfare caseload, the state’s work participation rate, and the economic circumstances of vulnerable families. Researchers from the Public Policy Institute of California find that, as a result of such policies, the state’s caseload would be lower and the work participation rate higher, if the state adopted stricter sanction policies for adults who fail to meet work requirements.

The National Transitional Jobs Network developed this toolkit to provide States with information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that is targeted to TANF participants. Transitional Jobs programs can help States increase TANF participants’ self-sufficiency while also meeting federal work requirements. The toolkit includes resources on how States can develop transitional jobs programs using the TANF Emergency Fund and provides examples of RFPs, Worksheets, and Assessment Tools.

This report is from the Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research, and Evaluation. Religion and spirituality play a significant role in the lives of Americans, and this report is focused on how religiosity and spirituality affect outcomes for low-income families. Researchers provide an overview of the role of religiosity for low-income families in the areas of marriage and relationships, parenting, youth outcomes, mental and physical health, substance abuse, and crime and violence, homelessness, and employment.

Due to the economic climate, many workers have faced the unstable labor market with declining wages and job insecurity, and the effects take a larger toll on disadvantaged workers. Organizations that are currently serving disadvantaged workers are also facing challenges to matching their clients to employment opportunities, and organizations have been finding innovative approaches to employment through sectoral employment strategies, career pathways and transitional jobs. This resource, from Public/Private Ventures, provides an overview of alternative staffing strategies currently being utilized across the country to support job seekers and disadvantaged workers.