The Role Of Tanf Program Providing Assistance To Families With Very Low Incomes

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to states for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities. It is best known for helping states pay for cash welfare for needy families with children, but it funds a wide array of additional activities. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). TANF funding and program authority were extended through FY2010 by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA, P.L. 109-171). TANF provides a basic block grant of $16.5 billion to the 50 states and District of Columbia, and $0.1 billion to U.S. territories. Additionally, 17 states qualify for supplemental grants that total $319 million. TANF also requires states to contribute from their own funds at least $10.4 billion for benefits and services to needy families with children -- this is known as the maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. States may use TANF and MOE funds in any manner "reasonably calculated" to achieve TANF's statutory purpose. This purpose is to increase state flexibility to achieve four goals: (1) provide assistance to needy families with children so that they can live in their own homes or the homes of relatives; (2) end dependence of needy parents on government benefits through work, job preparation, and marriage; (3) reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) promote the formation and maintenance of two-parent families. Though TANF is a block grant, there are some strings attached to states' use of funds, particularly for families receiving "assistance" (essentially cash welfare). States must meet TANF work participation standards or be penalised by a reduction in their block grant. The law sets standards stipulating that at least 50% of all families and 90% of two-parent families must be participating, but these statutory standards are reduced for declines in the cash welfare caseload. (Some families are excluded from the participation rate calculation.) Activities creditable toward meeting these standards are focused on work or are intended to rapidly attach welfare recipients to the workforce; education and training is limited. Federal TANF funds may not be used for a family with an adult that has received assistance for 60 months. This is the five-year time limit on welfare receipt. However, up to 20% of the caseload may be extended beyond the five years for reason of "hardship", with hardship defined by the states. Additionally, states may use funds that they must spend to meet the TANF MOE to aid families beyond five years. TANF work participation rules and time limits do not apply to families receiving benefits and services not considered "assistance". Child care, transportation aid, state earned income tax credits for working families, activities to reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies, activities to promote marriage and two-parent families, and activities to help families that have experienced or are "at risk" of child abuse and neglect are examples of such "nonassistance".

What are the real differences between the Democrats and the Republicans on major economic issues that influence the character and vitality of the American economy? This volume answers this question in a thorough, nonpartisan, and evenhanded fashion. Both the Democratic and Republican parties proclaim that they have the best interests of the nation and its people at heart. Both are also adamant that they have the best proposals and positions on economic policies, including taxation, spending priorities, wages, business regulation, and other influences on economic growth and household finances. This volume carefully examines the two parties' respective policies, providing a detailed yet readable and understandable look at how the parties agree, disagree, and find compromise on the broad range of problems and issues facing American society in the 21st century. Each entry includes an infographic that offers bulleted "at-a-glance" summaries of the two parties' positions on each issue today, an "Issue Overview" providing basic definitions and background for understanding the debate on each issue, and a main entry that explains prevailing party sentiments, the diversity of opinion within each party, and the shifts in party position on that issue over time. Selected entries also feature informative sidebars that supply additional content, such as primary documents that showcase the viewpoints of key political figures and institutions or biographical profiles of individuals who have helped shape their party's policies on the issue in question.

The strengths and abilities children develop from infancy through adolescence are crucial for their physical, emotional, and cognitive growth, which in turn help them to achieve success in school and to become responsible, economically self-sufficient, and healthy adults. Capable, responsible, and healthy adults are clearly the foundation of a well-functioning and prosperous society, yet America's future is not as secure as it could be because millions of American children live in families with incomes below the poverty line. A wealth of evidence suggests that a lack of adequate economic resources for families with children compromises these children's ability to grow and achieve adult success, hurting them and the broader society. A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty reviews the research on linkages between child poverty and child well-being, and analyzes the poverty-reducing effects of major assistance programs directed at children and families. This report also provides policy and program recommendations for reducing the number of children living in poverty in the United States by half within 10 years.

A firsthand look at how policies and legal doctrines affect families living in low-income urban neighborhoods. In Disparities in Urban Health, Edward V. Wallace examines the impacts of political and structural determinants of health on people living in urban settings. This timely book intertwines the personal stories of real families with a comprehensive analysis of the policies and legal doctrines that shape their lives. Through interviews and an investigation of various policies, Wallace provides a firsthand look at the challenges faced by these families and their experiences with health disparities. Their voices bridge the gap between theory and reality while offering compelling and vital perspectives on the complex issues that affect their health. Wallace highlights key policies that impact low-income communities, including the "no duty to treat" policy, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, comprehensive smoke-free laws, equitable development policies, and the Implied Warranty of Habitability law. These policies, among others, are examined through the lens of equity and social justice. The intimate portraits of real people and their struggles shed light on the challenges faced by many low-income families and offer a pathway toward addressing health disparities in our society.

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