Temporary Assistance for Two-Parent Families in Texas: Reorienting TANF Toward Integral Human Development and Flourishing

This report from the Texas Public Policy Foundation examines how Texas administers its Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, focusing on coordination across state agencies, support for two-parent families, and the need to better measure long-term outcomes. The authors argue that clearer administrative responsibilities, more investment in programs supporting two-parent families, and stronger outcome tracking could help Texas better align its spending with TANF's federal purposes.

For TANF program administrators, the report offers a perspective on how funding decisions, agency coordination, and performance measurement shape the services families receive. It also raises questions about how programs assess success beyond immediate assistance or short-term employment outcomes. TANF programs can use these recommendations to inform discussions about program priorities, coordination across service providers, and ways to evaluate whether services support families' longer-term stability. Because the report focuses on Texas and advances a particular policy perspective, readers in other states may find it most useful as a starting point for examining their own program structures and funding choices.