Welfare/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

TANF's Role in Expanding Economic Opportunity
(CLASP - April 2010)

Welfare reform debates have often centered on the question of which route is more effective to economic independence, education or work. In recent testimony before the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security, Julie Strawn, CLASP senior fellow, described why both education and work experience are critical for economic success and recommended how the TANF system can be used to expand economic opportunity.

Not Enough: What TANF Offers Family Violence Victims
(Legal Momentum - March 17, 2010)

A report by Legal Momentum and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence finds that many victims of family violence were unable to obtain adequate assistance from TANF when they needed it most. In the survey, a mere 14 percent of respondents said that the TANF family violence responses work well in their states, and 43 percent said fewer than half of family violence victims were able to access TANF benefits. One in four respondents said "no" when asked if family violence information disclosed by victims was handled in an appropriate way.

Goals for TANF Reauthorization
(CLASP - Jan. 6, 2010)

This policy brief from CLASP proposes two basic goals for TANF reauthorization that is to occur by Sept. 30, 2010. These are: (1) focus on alleviating poverty and preventing material hardship among children and families; and (2) create effective pathways to economic opportunity. The brief then lays out CLASP's recommendations to achieve these two goals.

Questions and Answers about the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund

This document, from the Center for Law and Social Policy, explains the opportunities for states to help low-income families using the new TANF Emergency Contingency Fund created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This version is updated to reflect the Policy Announcement issued by HHS on April 3, 2009.

The Well-Being of Children in Working Poor and Other Families: 1997 and 2004

This report by Child Trends suggests that the increase in working poor families' share of all poor families has not led to deteriorating child outcomes and indeed is more consistent with the reverse - that increased work effort among low-income families is associated with better child outcomes.

State Welfare Report Card 2008: Welfare Reform After Ten Years

This report by The Heartland Institute, ranks and grades states by the success of their anti-poverty efforts and by the reform policies they adopted. The survey measures five variables that reflect states’ success in fighting poverty and seven welfare reform policies states can adopt.

The Urban Institute recently compiled a number of materials exploring the past and future of welfare reform:

Audio Files:

Listen to government officials, human service practitioners, researchers, and analysts as they discuss and debate the past and future of welfare reform.

Fact Sheets and Reports: