In February and March of 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), held a series of three virtual meetings with state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies and stakeholders. The series, Navigating New Pathways towards Building Thriving Communities, invited state TANF administrators and other staff to participate in cohorts by ACF Region (Regions I-IV, V-VIII, and IX and X). Each meeting focused on a specific topic related to supporting families through COVID-19 and beyond, and each took place three times (once for each cohort).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many TANF programs rapidly adapted their program delivery to ensure the continuity of client supportive services. In many instances, the necessity to pivot from “normal” day-to-day operations led to programmatic changes with great potential for improving client outcomes. The Adapting Client-Centered Approaches to a Virtual Environment meetings explored a broad range of topics, including creating a safe environment for coaching customers, rolling out new technical systems and platforms, addressing the need for broadband access, and using trauma-informed scripts with customers in the midst of the pandemic. The meetings emphasized how programs managed, executed, and intend to sustain these changes after the pandemic’s end. A video recording is available for viewing.

This report examines how organizational culture, office design, and office procedures contribute to the client experience with TANF, the services offered, and the potential outcomes. It highlights examples of productive client-oriented office settings, organizational processes and culture, and the day-to-day influence of organizational culture on clients and frontline staff. The report’s findings are drawn from field interviews and observations at six TANF offices: Fairfax County’s Department of Family Services (Virginia); Mesa County’s Workforce Center (Colorado); New York City’s Human Resources Administration (New York); Owens Valley Career Development Center’s Tribal TANF Program (California); Santa Cruz County’s Human Services Department (California); and the Utah Department of Workforce Services.

In February and March of 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), held three virtual meetings with state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies and stakeholders. The series, Navigating New Pathways towards Building Thriving Communities, invited state TANF administrators and other staff to participate in cohorts by ACF Region (Regions I-IV, V-VIII, and IX and X). The Interrupting the Impact of Traumatic Stress virtual meetings focused on how programs can best identify and address trauma among staff. The meetings provided state TANF programs with tools to better understand the impact of trauma on staff, identify how it shows up at work, and learn actionable ideas for building buffer zones of partnership, safety, and support in the workplace.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 amends Section 403 of the Social Security Act to create a new $1 billion Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) for states, tribes, and territories to assist needy families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 15, 2021, the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted an informative webinar for tribes to learn about the PEAF. Participants heard from OFA’s TANF policy experts on how they can use this fund, its requirements, and the process for applying for the funds. OFA speakers included Susan Golonka, Acting Director; Stan Koutstaal, Division Director, Tribal TANF Management and Regional Operations; Deborah List, Associate Deputy Director; and Peter Germanis, Senior Policy Advisor and National Expert. In addition to this webinar, OFA hosted a separate webinar for territories. Also, additional guidance will be published with more information about the allocations formulas, how to request funds, and other general policy guidelines.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 amends Section 403 of the Social Security Act to create a new $1 billion Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) for states, tribes, and territories to assist needy families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 14, 2021, the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted an informative webinar for territories to learn about the PEAF. Participants heard from OFA’s TANF policy experts on how they can use this fund, its requirements, and the process for applying for the funds. OFA speakers included Susan Golonka, Acting Director; Julie Siegel, Director, Division of State TANF Policy; Stan Koutstaal, Division Director, Tribal TANF Management and Regional Operations; and Peter Germanis, Senior Policy Advisor and National Expert. In addition to this webinar, OFA hosted a separate webinar for tribes. Also, additional guidance will be published with more information about the allocations formulas, how to request funds, and other general policy guidelines.

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 Administration for Children and Families Program Instruction (PI) includes a description of the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) Allotment Request Form that states, tribes, and territories must use to inform the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services whether they intend to use all of their PEAF allotment, and supporting instructions on how to submit the form.

The Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse will host a webinar on April 29, 2021 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET to discuss how TANF administrators and other service providers can find and use information on the Pathways Clearinghouse website about evidence-based interventions and their implementation. Presentations will cover the Pathways Clearinghouse’s relevance and a demonstration of the website’s new features, as well as the website’s information on how over 50 evidence-based interventions were implemented. Speakers include representatives of the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, the Archuleta County Department of Human Services, the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, and Mathematica.