Healthy food choices are in abundance for most Americans. Fresh fruits and vegetables are just a short car ride away, if not within walking distance. But, for Native American citizens, that is not always the case. This PBS video highlights a chef representing the Pascua Yaqui tribe and a Partnership with Native Americans (PWNA) member discussing what they are doing to address food access and food sovereignty. This video also discusses how the Native American Food Movement is supporting a return to healthy and traditional diet in Indian county.

Exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity rates are high and access to nutritious food is expensive. A lack of policies around food accessibility paired with shortfalls in our food systems have created vast stretches of food deserts and nutrition disparities. This University of California, Irvine resource discusses food deserts where minority communities, including Latinx immigrants, face inequitable food environments. This resource also demonstrates that to improve health and wellbeing, there needs to be conversations to gain knowledge of those with lived experience.

Poverty is both a predictor and a consequence of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), so interventions that alleviate poverty-related stressors could mitigate IPV-related harms. In Georgia, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) diversion program provides a non-recurrent lump-sum payment to deter individuals from monthly TANF benefits and has been identified as an understudied component of TANF that may influence the effectiveness of state TANF programs in supporting IPV survivors. This National Library of Medicine journal article describes a study which quantifies and qualifies the role of Georgia’s TANF diversion program in shaping IPV-related mortality.

On September 27, 2024, the Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) announced their awarding of $4.7 million to help states and tribes develop and refine child support-led employment efforts for noncustodial parents under the Next Generation Child Support Employment (NextGen) grant. OCSS awarded an additional $3.4 million to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to provide technical assistance and evaluate the NextGen demonstration projects. This OCSS announcement highlights the demonstration grants recipients, including six states and two tribes.

Many young people transition to adulthood without access to familial resources and struggle to meet their basic needs. Public benefit programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), housing subsidies, and Medicaid can help young people meet these needs at a critical time in their lives. Young people also need sufficient cash income to meet specific needs these in-kind programs do not provide, and some may receive this through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. However, many young people do not access programs they are eligible for. This Urban Institute report presents the results of a literature scan for evidence about what works to expand young people’s access to public benefits. This report highlights various promising approaches, including targeted youth outreach, benefit navigation, cross-organizational partnerships, simplifying or expanding eligibility, and enhancing administrative efficiency and effectiveness.

This Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Network and National Indian Child Welfare Association tipsheet was developed for service providers to share with relatives/kin caring for Native children. It provides guidance to help caregivers access services, utilize the services effectively, and advocate for Native children in their care. This resource can support families to identify and connect to services such as childcare, behavioral health, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), TANF non-needy (child-only) grants, assistance with Social Security Income and other paperwork, and much more.

The Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS) leads Administration for Children and Families' comprehensive approach to domestic violence prevention and administers the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) to improve support for families and individuals experiencing violence and trauma. Each October, OFVPS recognizes Domestic Violence Awareness Month by standing in solidarity with survivors, their loved ones, advocates, and communities to mourn those who lives have been lost to domestic violence; to celebrate the accomplishments to end and prevent further violence; and to connect with others leading this movement to transform communities to be more inclusive and supportive of all individuals and families fleeing violence.

This OFVPS resource highlights FVPSA grant recipients that are hosting engaging events throughout October 2024.

The Administration for Children and Families promotes the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities by providing federal leadership, partnership, and resources for the delivery of a range of human services. Many state, local, and tribal human services programs have a similar mission to support the well-being of the populations they serve. Traditionally, earnings and employment outcomes have served as some of the primary indicators to assess the success of services and programs in advancing family well-being. However, increasingly there is recognition among policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and the broader field that well-being is a complex and multi-faceted concept. One’s well-being can encompass a range of non-economic outcome domains; be influenced by structural, household, social, and individual factors; and look different across cultures, communities, and contexts. To explore this complexity, this 2024 Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency plenary session features research on how well-being is conceptualized in three different human services settings that support individuals and families—Indigenous communities, welfare and self-sufficiency programs, and home visiting programs—and from the perspective of an individual with lived experience as a human services program participant and as a current practitioner in an early childhood education program.

Transitioning out of the military can be daunting; for the many years that they served, veterans haven't experienced what the transitioning period of leaving the service brings to the forefront. There isn't a guaranteed 1st and 15th paycheck, and there is no healthcare unless they retired (20 years or more served or medically retired from the military). Veterans must move their families to a location that they deem fit for success of employment, education, and housing. The most important aspect of transitioning is finding constant employment to be able to survive in the civilian world. This National Association of Workforce Development Professionals webinar will take place on November 13, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. ET, to discuss the importance of supporting transitioning service members and strategies to support them through their journey.

Despite the significance of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to the nation’s social safety net, advocates argue it is in desperate need of modernization. Many of its program rules have not been updated in four decades, despite dramatic changes in the country’s attitudes about and policies meant to support full community inclusion of people with disabilities. Applying for SSI can be a lengthy and complicated process, program eligibility and payment requirements can be confusing, and asset limits discourage saving for life’s unexpected events. Mathematica and the National Academy of Social Insurance will host a virtual event on October 8, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. ET to examine the state of SSI 50 years after the program's first payment and to discuss evidence-based reforms that could strengthen the program for the next 50 years.