The following report describes the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Academy that took place in Dallas, Texas from February 2-4, 2003 at the Fairmont Hotel-Dallas.

Authored by Jeanette Hercik, Karen Lynn-Dyson, H. Lien Bragg, Courtney Kakuska, and Bradley Myles. This technical assistance packet was developed by Caliber Associates, Inc. as part of the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Initiative. This initiative is sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Family Assistance (OFA) and Office of Community Services (OCS), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).

The following report describes the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Academy III that took place in St. Louis, Missouri from March 8-11, 2005 to foster collaboration to improve administration and delivery of services to TANF families.

This report provides an overview of the promising practices presented at the joint Peer TA/Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Big Five Roundtable. The California Department of Social Services made a Technical Assistance (TA) request on behalf of their largest urban center (Los Angeles) and on behalf of four very similar urban centers (Chicago, Houston, New York City and Philadelphia.) The five target cities were led through a series of facilitated discussions involving the core subject areas of performance management and contracting, saturation engagement, diversion and immediate employment, and re-engagement and sanctions.

The Urban Partnerships Initiative was designed by the Administration for Children and Families to support the work of TANF stakeholders in urban environments by promoting shared learning, enhancing cities' performance management, and developing strategies to improve services to families so that they may achieve and maintain self-sufficiency. The following report describes the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Leadership Forum that took place in Baltimore, Maryland.

As place is an important factor for positive family outcomes, this Urban Institute article reviews types of neighborhoods and how surroundings can play a role in the well-being of families and children. By research a variety of indicators, it concludes that families residing in urban and rural areas face increased hardship than families residing in suburban areas.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina took the lives of 1,800 people in the Gulf Coast region and caused $81.2 billion worth of damage. Since the storm, rebuilding efforts have sought to create a better New Orleans, and this article, from the Brookings Institution, reviews the progress in the past year and visions for the future.

To improve the employment outcomes for ex-offenders, Baltimore Mayor's Office of Employment Development (MOED) facilitated the creation of the Baltimore's citywide Ex-offender Task Force (EOFT) in October 2002. EOTF membership includes more than 100 government agencies, nonprofit and community-based service providers, major foundations, advocacy groups, and faith leaders. In December 2003, EOFT issued a report that outlines barriers to effective service delivery and provides recommendations for the service improvements. To facilitate prioritizing the recommendations from the report and secure additional funding to support those priorities, a Mayoral-appointed Ex-Offender Employment Steering Committee was created in March 2004 and started the second phase of Baltimore's initiative.

This report, from the Urban Institute, describes incarceration and prisoner reentry trends in Philadelphia between 1996 and 2003. By reviewing characteristics of individuals returning to the community, this study provides insight on challenges regarding prisoner reentry in Philadelphia.

Partnering with employers and support workers in the workplace is important to helping TANF participants reach stable employment opportunities. A successful collaboration with employers can help support job retention among participants to maintain stable employment and gain necessary work experience. Moving participants immediately into work activities renders the importance of providing needed supports while on the job. Participants at the Urban Partnerships National Academy held in Atlanta, GA in May heard successful strategies and innovative programs for partnering with local employers from Kansas City, Memphis, and Dallas/Fort Worth. These presentations give information on effective job readiness and placement services, and provides guidance for entities that are determining collaborative roles and responsibilities, including willingness to collocate services and staff.