Leadership and frontline staff in Adams and Jefferson Counties are making intentional changes to coordinate employment services for TANF and WIOA clients within their respective counties. This brief highlights joint TANF-WIOA efforts in each site, including the alignment of job readiness workshop content, the development of shared tools for tracking clients’ job placement, and cross-funded opportunities for both TANF and non-TANF clients (e.g., Adams County’s diversion program and Jefferson County’s information technology job training program). Through joint efforts and resource sharing, the Workforce Centers are working to break down silos between agencies as well as barriers faced by clients.

Sections of the brief discuss joint service delivery, resource sharing, shared learning, and managing collaborative activities. Readers may also access links to the state TANF plan and funding information for more context and resources. This brief is part of the TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series, through which the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative seeks to highlight innovative coordination strategies of TANF and WIOA programs to serve low-income or vulnerable populations.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report examines the Minnesota Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (MSTED) program that is designed to increase employment outcomes for persons who receive benefits for more than six months under the state’s Minnesota Family Investment Program (Minnesota’s TANF program). This implementation study looked at the outcomes from November 2014 to December 2016 in three counties to identify gains in employment and earnings, reduced receipt of public assistance, and overall well-being. The study also analyzed how participants and employers experienced the program in terms of engagement and retention.

The Office of Family Assistance published data tables which cover TANF and maintenance-of-effort separate caseloads by state and at the national level from October 2018 through March 2019. The tables are cross-tabbed to include total recipients, total families, total children, one-parent families, two-parent families, no parent families, adults, and monthly caseload data.

This brief highlights an innovative collaboration forged between a corporation, government agencies, and a community partner in New Hampshire to create a career pathway for TANF participants. Read more about how the partners designed a phased training model to directly integrate TANF program requirements and prepare participants for a pharmacy technician career.

This brief is part of the Emerging Practice Series of the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative, which highlights the strategies of TANF agencies and their partners to help low-income individuals gain and sustain meaningful employment. Each brief describes an emerging practice that has been implemented in one site, an overview of the program model, and the results that have been achieved. Compelling stories of participants’ success and suggestions from TANF agency staff to their peers provide actionable insights and on-the-ground perspectives.

This National Skills Coalition brief offers guidance on how TANF and other public assistance programs could shift emphasis to skills and employment outcomes, like those used by WIOA common measures, rather than a procedural process that measures the work participation rate. WIOA identifies individuals facing barriers to entering the labor market. This brief identifies ways to enhance coordination between TANF and WIOA systems by addressing common purposes for increasing access to employment and education and training opportunities to support these individuals.

The Anoka County Job Training Center is the only WIOA job center serving the county. It houses all public assistance programs, including TANF (called the Minnesota Family Investment Program), on-site WIOA partners, and child care services in the same building. As described in this brief, the Center has implemented strategies to streamline service delivery and co-enrollment among these programs, including a universal program application, a team of intake and eligibility specialists, and cross-program practices for adapting resources to meet client needs. This site also offers a rich mix of youth programming, such as employment and training opportunities for out-of-school and in-school youth, and a Human Services Youth Team to focus on young TANF recipients.

Sections of the brief discuss joint service delivery, resource sharing, shared learning, and managing collaborative activities. Readers may also access links to the state TANF plan and funding information for more context and resources. This brief is part of the TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series, through which the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative seeks to highlight innovative coordination strategies of TANF and WIOA programs to serve low-income or vulnerable populations.

The American Job Centers in Pennsylvania (called PA CareerLink®) offer workforce services to TANF clients through the Employment Advancement Retention Network (EARN). As described in this brief, the PA CareerLink® in Lehigh Valley has developed a strong team-based culture, with staff organized by function instead of by program. This structure helps clients navigate the job center and encourages programs to exchange ideas, expertise, and data. These team-based collaborations are facilitated by regular meetings, cross-training on all programs, and staff and leadership dedicated to working toward integrated service delivery.

Sections of the brief discuss joint service delivery, resource sharing, shared learning, and managing collaborative activities. Readers may also access links to the state TANF plan and funding information for more context and resources. This brief is part of the TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series, through which the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative seeks to highlight innovative coordination strategies of TANF and WIOA programs to serve low-income or vulnerable populations.

This case statement describes the American Job Centers in Central Arkansas (called Arkansas Workforce Centers). Strategies to coordinate cash assistance and employment services for TANF recipients and job seekers include in-house referrals between TANF and WIOA, the development of a new integrated data system (ARWINS) to track participant outcomes, and information sharing among program staff. Through strong relationships with local workforce development boards and business partners, the Workforce Centers also offer work-based learning and subsidized employment opportunities to job seekers.

Sections of the brief discuss joint service delivery, resource sharing, shared learning, and managing collaborative activities. Readers may also access links to the state TANF plan and funding information for more context and resources. This brief is part of the TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series, through which the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative seeks to highlight innovative coordination strategies of TANF and WIOA programs to serve low-income or vulnerable populations.

The Administration for Children and Families, is accepting nominations (including self-nominations) of state, territory, and county TANF agencies to become TANF agency pilots under the TANF Data Collaborative and receive support in becoming more data-driven in their program delivery. Up to eight pilot sites will be selected for a period of 30 months and will receive direct funding, targeted and hands-on technical assistance and training, individual support from TANF and data analytic experts, and peer learning opportunities on data use in program design and administration. Nominations are due by September 30, 2019.

This Urban Institute report highlights qualitative data to explain the reasons why low-wage workers apply for public assistance initially. The report is drawn from interviews with 40 individuals who recently separated from low-wage work and received or participated in Medicaid, SNAP, the Minnesota Family Investment Program, cash assistance, or unemployment insurance. The focus of the study is to understand why workers lose or leave low-wage work and how these workers get by on low and fluctuating income; these factors can determine worker outcomes for receiving assistance and improved outcomes for self-sufficiency.