In the foreground of reauthorization the Administration for Children and Families Regions I, II, III, and IV convened the first ever 2010 East Coast TANF Directors’ Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 19-21, 2010. The conference brought together 24 State TANF directors and program staff to strategize on ways to move low-income and working families closer to economic self-sufficiency while providing important input on the development of new TANF legislation. Specific topics included subsidized employment, strengthening safety-net partnerships, improving assessments and service delivery for domestic violence victims, and asset development strategies to improve long-term economic development. The conference brought together federal, state, and local partners and stakeholders to develop a new vision for a new decade and to enhance the program options available to low-income families and TANF participants.

The Peer TA Network provided technical assistance to Georgians for Prosperity (G4P), a committee dedicated to advancing awareness and participation in the EITC. G4P was created in October 2009. Subsequently, the Peer TA Network helped G4P bring together representatives from community-based organizations, foundations, local businesses, faith-based organizations, financial institutions, schools, and Community Action Agencies, as well as representatives from the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Georgia Department of Human Services, for an EITC/Asset-Building Statewide Coalition Meeting that took place in Savannah on June 28-30, 2010. The meeting served as a way for participants to share information about the EITC and other asset-building programs; foster peer-to-peer learning; highlight promising practices on EITC outreach and free tax preparation from around the country; provide helpful tools for launching an EITC/asset-building campaign; develop a Statewide marketing campaign to promote such services; and facilitate the development of local and regional action plans for immediate implementation. Through this meeting, GA4P hopes to bolster efforts at establishing community partnerships, enhancing outreach, and, ultimately, improving access to the EITC and free tax filing assistance for low-income residents.

The following report describes the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Academy II that took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota from October, 26-29 2003 to continue partnerships and foster collaboration to improve service delivery and TANF implementation for families residing in urban areas.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network (WPTA) offered technical assistance to the Georgia Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Asset-Building Planning Meeting with the primary purpose of bringing together EITC coalitions in the State of Georgia to talk about coming together with other organizations to form a cohesive statewide coalition of organizations and agencies. Welfare Peer TA brought together local EITC coalitions in the State of Georgia to brainstorm ideas about creating a statewide coalition, establishing a plan for the group, and developing initial plans for a broader meeting to be held in spring 2010 to kick-off the statewide group. The Coalition’s long term goal is to ultimately work together to implement initiatives in underserved areas.

This was a session at the Urban Partnerships Initiative's National Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta and Kansas City, MO city partners offered strategies on tracking work participation rates through innovative case management.

This publication is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Family Assistance under contract with ICF International. Through the Urban Partnerships Initiative, this resource shows the outstanding efforts of ten cities to meet the needs of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The innovative practices highlighted in this piece can be applied in other urban areas throughout the Nation to enable other cities to write their own success story during the next decade of welfare reform.

This discussion paper, from the Urban Institute, summarizes how States are serving clients with multiple barriers on their TANF caseloads and provides information on recent changes in States’ approaches to serving this population. Authors interviewed TANF program officials in the States of California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

This study was completed through the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, and explores how local management of TANF programs has adapted practices to address changing needs of the TANF population in the local areas. This study was conducted in five sites across the country, including Phoenix, Arizona; Macon, Georgia; Kansas City, Missouri; Newark, New Jersey and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Findings conclude that the implementation of TANF varies across the sites, and that programs will have upcoming changes in response to the Deficit Reduction Act.

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.

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.