Third Sector and the American Public Human Services Association will host this webinar on October 15, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET. Representatives from the Kentucky Department of Family Support and the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (MA DTA) will discuss how they are working to better meet the needs of young parent families through TANF-funded programs. Kentucky Works Program representatives will share how they are working to establish participant and frontline staff “feedback loops” to better understand the needs of young parents and to identify more enhanced, targeted TANF-funded services that promote economic stability. In addition, MA DTA will share its new approach to using TANF funding in flexible and effective ways to support young parents through the Young Parents Program. Examples will include place-based adjustments, cross-agency coordination, and gathering ongoing feedback from participants to inform program improvements.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) will host a virtual meeting on October 13-16, 2020 focused solely on health for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Conference presentations will cover Tribal health care, health policy’s impact on Tribal communities, behavioral and environmental health, and best practices being implemented in Indian Country.

This report is a developmental evaluation of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s deep-end reform initiative covering 12 juvenile justice jurisdictions across the U.S. The evaluation not only presents the deep-end approach as a comprehensive and holistic approach for youth in transition, but also highlights five characteristics of the jurisdictions that implemented this approach. Implemented from 2012 to 2018, the deep-end approach aimed to safely and significantly reduce out-of-home placements for youth, especially youth of color.

The National Association of Counties will host a webinar on October 14, 2020 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET to discuss how county governments can respond to housing unstable and unhoused populations during the coronavirus pandemic. This webinar will cover how the intersection of economic security, public health, and access to housing impacts this vulnerable population.

Vicarious trauma can occur when indirectly exposed to another person’s trauma through images or verbal, written stories; it is an occupational challenge for people working in victim services, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and human services. Individuals who experience vicarious trauma may develop a shift in their world view and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Organizations with staff experiencing vicarious trauma may face higher instances of staff turnover, absenteeism, and reduced work quality. Developed as a resource for the Online Work Readiness Assessment, this August 2020 training session defined vicarious trauma, identified its common symptoms, and offered strategies for organizations and workers to address vicarious trauma.

The SNAP participation rate is the percentage of eligible people across the U.S. actually participating in the SNAP program. This research brief presents estimates of State SNAP participation rates for all eligible people and “working poor” people for fiscal year 2017. These estimates can be used to assess program performance and improve program access. The brief also includes a chart on participation rates by state comparing all eligible people and the working poor in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

This report examines lessons learned and strategies adopted for service delivery by social services organizations in Los Angeles County, California that support the needs of homeless individuals (or at risk of becoming homeless) and those involved in the criminal justice system, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report covers the shift to providing virtual services, including video- and telephone-based care, and the barriers to delivering these services to those lacking technology access. It also discusses the difficulties in requiring clients to maintain shelter-in-place procedures, and increased workplace stress with reductions in staff and organizational revenue.

This report is an initial evaluation of Families Forward, a locally designed and funded two-generation program in Bangor, Maine. The program involves a partnership with Bangor Housing, the local public housing authority, and the Boys & Girls Club of Bangor. The program’s model includes social supports for families, financial coaching, and access to services and training that are designed to move these families toward greater economic mobility.

Trauma can have significant short and long-term effects on individual functioning and family well-being. Many human services agencies have begun to recognize the profound implications this issue has on how agency staff interact with their customers, and how staff themselves are impacted. The Office of Family Assistance hosted a webinar on September 30, 2020 to help TANF sites interested in moving from trauma awareness to practice transformation using evidence-informed strategies.

Webinar speakers reviewed the trauma-informed paradigm’s foundations in the TANF context, and discussed key considerations in moving TANF programs from trauma-informed awareness to evidence-informed practice transformation. Participants heard from the Vermont Department for Children and Families on their experiences developing a Trauma-Informed Evaluative Toolkit for TANF with OFA PeerTA support and their implementation plans.

This issue brief by Voices for Utah Children in conjunction with the Aspen Institute focuses on two-generation strategies to reduce poverty. Voices for Utah worked with Utah lawmakers to address the issue by passing the Intergenerational Poverty Mitigation Act in 2012 and creating an Intergenerational Poverty Advisory Commission in 2013. The goal was to develop evidence-based strategies and interventions with policymakers to increase economic security, educational success, social capital, and health and well-being for families. This legislation and approach have been a critical step in creating a framework for states to develop five- and ten-year plans to address poverty.