This University of Maryland report, a part of the annual Life After Welfare series, reviews the outcomes of households that are no longer on TANF caseloads. The report examines the characteristics, employment, and earnings outcomes of 12,597 families who left Maryland’s Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) program between January 2004 and March 2017. The findings suggest that these families improved their financial situations after exiting TCA, compared to their circumstances before TCA enrollment. However, these families still struggle to maintain independence from cash assistance following exit from the program.

This report provides a compilation of the success of financial capability integration efforts for tribal communities. The report focuses on two locations in Alaska: the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association (APIA). Household financial living and assessing organizational and community capacity to deliver services are discussed in depth.

This toolkit from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was designed for victims of the recent hurricanes to assist in securing their financial obligations after a natural disaster. The toolkit provides a checklist of important financial tasks to address, reliable and trustworthy resources and agencies to help, and warnings about potential scams. Included is a printable and easy to use checklist to help consumers work through the necessary steps they need to take to ensure their financial obligations and assets are secure.

In this Brookings Paper on Economic Activity, the authors focus on children within the safety net programs of Medicaid, EITC, CTC, SNAP, and TANF, and how federal money has shifted over time to currently benefit families with earnings above the poverty line. Because much research has been done on the substantial and lasting effects of poverty on child development and later well-being, current social net programs may be negatively affecting the poorest children. Over the past twenty years, funds allocated toward children have mostly remained the same, as have the number of children in poverty, but social program benefits have been shifting to benefit those at or above the poverty line more than those below it. While the authors do not discuss many policy implications, they emphasize the harm that cuts to these programs may do and promote adaptable reforms that quickly supplement income during recessionary times.

In this article issued by the Institute for Research on Poverty, discussion highlights the effects of paid leave on mothers’ post-birth employment and on child well-being. Policies, such as work requirements, time limits, and child care subsidies, are effective levers for increasing employment. Yet this research also suggests that any assessments of these policies must consider not only benefits of increased maternal employment, but also the potential costs associated with reduced child well-being.

This blog post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is part of the "Self-Sufficiency Series: Solutions from the Field" and highlights the Building Wealth and Health Network for the work they do to build social and financial capital of TANF recipients. Based on research that shows the beneficial effects of high social and monetary capital, the Network provides group financial empowerment classes and other resources with a specific focus on those overcoming violence or adversity in their past. There is also a peer support component that creates connections among participants, which increases social capital and helps members feel engaged and self-sufficient and makes the program sustainable. Randomized control trial results suggest that this program increased employment, earnings, and self-sufficiency while decreasing depression and economic hardship among members.

On September 18, 2018, the Urban Institute will host a discussion at their D.C. headquarters led by a Washington Post columnist to address misconceptions about credit, specifically credit for low-income families. Having poor or no credit is a serious barrier to overcoming poverty because it creates high transaction costs and limits opportunities to invest in homes or cover emergencies. Thus, policymakers and researchers will discuss the facts on credit and why credit-building should be expanded for low-income Americans.

A seven-year government project that researched ways to strengthen social services using principles from behavioral science, called Behavioral Insights to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS), recently ended and published a case study based on their field research. This workbook is designed to teach students and field practitioners about behavioral design and methodology. It provides information, exercises, and worksheets and asks readers to read first about different behavioral principles and then about a problem with a tax credit program. Using behavioral science, the publication works through the issue, proposes solutions, and ends with guided discussion questions for readers to ask themselves and their case study group. Questions pertain to readers’ newfound knowledge and insight into how to use behavioral principles to increase the efficacy of their own service provision in the future.

As youth transition into adulthood, financial literacy is crucial for self-sufficiency. To help young adults understand and manage their finances, the Federal Trade Commission and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will sponsor a webinar on September 20 on topics such as generating good credit, avoiding debt burden on student loans, buying cars, and avoiding identity theft, among other important topics.