As a part of continued support to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs and their endeavors to serve individuals and families virtually during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Family Assistance recorded a PeerTA webinar on June 24, 2020. TANF staff and those they serve had to retool quickly to adapt to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Staff who conduct in-person case management and coaching are looking for ways to continue these needed services virtually in order to protect the health and safety of individuals and families, ensure the health and safety of their own families, and maintain confidentiality by using virtual services that are secure. Luckily, remote case management services are not new concepts, as they are increasingly being used across TANF and other client/student serving organizations to provide efficient and effective support to those they would normally see face-to-face.

This panel webinar discussed virtual TANF case management and coaching strategies considering the risks associated with COVID-19. Information was delivered in a panel format with question and answer dialogue with panelists. Through the panel webinar registration process, registrants had the opportunity to pose questions for the panelists and the field to consider as they make critical decisions about their ongoing operations, including use of virtual tools and processes to conduct coaching/case management sessions.

Speakers included:

• Annette Waters, Ph.D., Social Science Analyst, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
• DaiJuan Wade, Supervisor -- Special Projects, Operations and Training, District of Columbia Department of Human Services
• Suzie Miller, Workforce Programs Manager, Arapahoe/Douglas Workforce Center 
• Mary Roberto, PeerTA Project Director, Manhattan Strategy Group (Panel Moderator)

This issue brief from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration discusses the impact of the opioid crisis on the Black/African American population. Key elements of the brief include: most recent data on the prevalence of opioid misuse and opioid overdose death rates; contextual factors that impact the opioid epidemic, including challenges in accessing early intervention and treatment; innovative outreach and engagement strategies for evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery; and the importance of the community voice to develop and implement solutions to the opioid crisis.

This podcast, as part of the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families project, includes interviews with developers of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model in San Diego County, California on the model’s implementation. IPS intends to help people with serious mental illness access and find employment. The podcast discussion also reflects IPS’ impact in serving individuals with a range of physical disabilities and health conditions other than mental illness.

The National Association of Counties will host a webinar on May 21, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on county workers and county budgets and local economies and how counties are developing policies, programs, and services to save residents’ lives and prepare for recovery in the future.

This fact sheet offers tips, guidance, and resources on how grandfamilies can stay healthy, informed, and connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include practicing excellent hygiene, accessing food and medicine, accessing technology, staying connected, talking with kids about coronavirus, managing anxiety and stress, resources and activities for children at home, and back-up planning.

This set of resources includes upcoming and previously recorded webinars on the impact of COVID-19 in rural communities, current and continuously updated data, state-by-state responses to COVID-19, and Federal responses regarding rural health, rural small business development, rural housing, and Tribal communities.

This compendium covers the impact of COVID-19 on early child development and offers a set of briefs and tool kits on how to support children and caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic. There is also a podcast on the brain science of how responses to COVID-19 effect healthy child development.

This continuously updated set of resources, which include guidance, tool kits, and reports, provides information for supportive housing and homeless housing providers, in light of CDC guidelines for social distancing and quarantine against community spread of COVID-19. This compendium also offers fact sheets on how homeless individuals and families can navigate and access services.

This U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service webpage describes the changes that the USDA has made to allow states to continue providing meals for students during school closures. Useful resources on the webpage include an interactive map that helps families identify locations of nearby meal sites, as well as hours of operation and contact information. The webpage also features the USDA National Hunger Hotline, a helpful resource for people seeking food assistance.

This blogpost offers conceptual strategies for helping parents to provide stability, safety, and security to children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The blogpost identifies the types of families most at risk of losing supports, and the services that these low-income families need for economic stability and self-sufficiency, in light of job losses and unemployment that are the economic cost of the pandemic.