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APHSA TANF Modernization Resources

Resources Description
The Core—A Cutting Edge Blog Series Getting to the Core of Modern TANF Reform
Part 1: TANF Agencies' Critique and Aspirations for the Future
April 8, 2022		 Our new multi-part blog series on TANF reform will be taking a detailed look at the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, now rounding a quarter century. We will be highlighting the ways in which TANF agencies, aligned systems, and community voices are thinking differently about TANF programs and how they can help families succeed for the long-term and get to the root of barriers communities face to promote opportunity for all. Our first blog is from Babs Roberts, Director of the Community Services Division at the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
Core Principles for TANF Modernization: A Legislative Framework for TANF Reform
March 2022		 As we round a quarter-century of TANF, APHSA is embracing the call to reimagine how TANF can work in support of the families it serves. APHSA’s members have laid out a legislative framework to unlock the potential of TANF. We call upon Congress to use this framework as a starting point to build common ground to achieve a TANF reauthorization that promotes a more equitable and prosperous future for all Americans.
Core Principles for TANF Modernization
April 30, 2021		 The latest installment of our Cornerstone series highlights how we can build common ground on what families need to thrive and how TANF can align with other key building blocks of well-being, as well as addressing the limitations in current TANF policy—particularly in redressing long-standing structural inequities—so that we can be bold about embracing change.
TANF North Star Map of Core Principles
April 30, 2021		 Our Infographic illustrates the renewed vision of what TANF can be and embedded within the principles are the values of equity, inclusion, and the limitless possibilities of human potential.

APHSA Resources

Resources Description
APHSA Comment Letter: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking – Public Charge Grounds of Inadmissibility
April 25, 2022		 This APHSA comment letter to the Department of Homeland Security is in response to a proposed rulemaking on public charge, which re-examines how public charge is defined.
APHSA Comment Letter on Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery
December 28, 2020		 Comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery published on November 25, 2020. The response reflects the feedback received from our affinity groups: NAPCWA, NASCCA, NASTA, and ISM in consultation with additional leaders in APHSA’s membership community.
TANF Extension Coalition Letter to Congress
November 24, 2020		 APHSA and a coalition of membership organizations representing the nation’s state legislatures, counties, cities, and state and local workforce and health and human services agencies submitted a letter to Congress to provide a one-year extension to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, effective through December 31, 2021.
Webinar: Improving Economic Stability for Young Parents – Spotlight on Kentucky & Massachusetts Representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and the Kentucky Department of Family Support (DFS) share how they are working to better meet the needs of young parent families through TANF-funded programs. Examples include place-based adjustments, cross-agency coordination, and gathering ongoing feedback from participants to inform program improvements.
Changes in State TANF Policies in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
August 2020		 In partnership with The Urban Institute, APHSA co-produced a brief “Changes in State TANF Policies in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic”. In this brief, we describe how some state agencies adapted their policies during the early months of the pandemic to meet their states’ and families’ unique situations, needs, and challenges.
Submitted Comments in Response to a Proposed Rule From the Social Security Administration on Continuing Disability Reviews
January 31, 2020		 The APHSA comment letter addresses the proposed rule that would increase the frequency of redetermination reviews for many individuals receiving disability benefits.
TANF Extension Letter
September 2019		 As a coalition of member organizations representing the nation’s governors, state legislatures, counties, cities, and state and local health and human services agencies, we urge the House Committee on Ways and Means to provide a one-year extension to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program
Measuring What Matters: Shifting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to an Outcomes-Based Model
June 2019		 The purpose of TANF is right in the name—to provide temporary assistance for needy families. Unfortunately, the current TANF system can make it challenging for parents to become self-sufficient or advance in today’s economy. APHSA’s joint paper with the National Skills Coalition (NSC) suggests TANF shift to an outcomes-based accountability system where states are rewarded based on how successfully they assist TANF participants in earning in-demand job skills and gaining sustainable, family-supporting employment.
TANF at 20: Time for Rational Changes
November 2016		 TANF at 20: Time for Rational Changes was developed by a special work group led by APHSA's Center for Employment and Economic Well-Being and the National Association of State TANF Administrators. It contains suggested legislative, regulatory and administrative recommendations for improving TANF to be more client- and family-centric and to align TANF more productively with elements of other workforce programs.

Additional Resources

Resources Description
Office of Family Assistance – TANF Webpage The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is designed to help needy families achieve self-sufficiency. States receive block grants to design and operate programs that accomplish one of the purposes of the TANF program.
TANF/WIOA Resource Hub The TANF/WIOA Learning Community is an initiative sponsored by the Office of Family Assistance. The community brings together seven teams from states across the country to explore strategies for successful integration of TANF and workforce programs. Teams focus on WIOA planning and implementation strategies ranging from creation of a common vision to on-the-ground implementation.
Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse This resource from OPRE is a systematic evidence review and website. By systematically reviewing the evidence, the Pathways Clearinghouse identifies interventions that aim to improve employment outcomes, reduce employment challenges, and support self-sufficiency for populations who are low income.
Self-Sufficiency Research Clearinghouse
 The SSRC is a virtual portal of research on low-income and TANF families and an online hub for professional networking among researchers, policymakers and practitioners who serve these populations.
Workforce GPS
 Online technical assistance website created to help build the capacity of America's public workforce investment system. Sponsored by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, WorkforceGPS was developed specifically for workforce professionals, educators, and business leaders.

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If you are looking for TANF or other benefits, please visit the Office of Family Assistance under the Administration for Children and Families here. For general information on government benefits click here.