Social Impact Bonds: Overview and Considerations

One of the hottest topics in human services is "pay-for-success" approaches to government contracting. In this era of tight budgets and increased skepticism about the effectiveness of government-funded programs, the idea that the government could pay only for proven results has a broad appeal. And those who have identified prevention-focused models that have the potential to improve long-term outcomes and save the government money are deeply frustrated that they have been unable to attract the funding needed to take these programs to scale. Some advocates for expanded prevention efforts are confident that these programs could thrive under pay for success and see such an approach as a way to break out of the harmful cycle where what limited funds are available must be used to provide services for those who are already in crisis, and there are rarely sufficient funds to pay for prevention

Goals for TANF Reauthorization

Recommends reauthorizing and enhancing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, with outcome-based accountability and a focus on child poverty alleviation and pathways to economic independence, as part of a ten-year goal to reduce poverty by 50 percent

TANF: The Past, the Present, and the Future of Ending Welfare As We Know It?

These slides are from our 2016 national conference, A Nation That Works: What's It Going to Take? The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program has been one of the most studied, evaluated, and debated pieces of American public policy of the last 20 years. TANF has raised important questions and concerns about the role of the safety net in the lives of poor, single female heads of household. On a national scale, and in localities across the country, program designers, implementers, advocates, researchers, and thought leaders have been at odds with the program's multiple—and often times conflicting—goals. Participants are invited to join a discussion session that takes a look back at the last twenty years of TANF implementation and what we have learned, what is happening now, and what advocates and others are thinking about the future of safety net policy and supporting pathways to work and opportunity for low-income female heads of household

(WEBINAR) Work Requirements Don't Work: What's At Stake & What Can We Do?

This webinar outlined the current and potential threats to basic assistance programs with a specific focus on work requirements; provided an on-the-ground perspective about how imposing work requirements in exchange for basic supports will hurt low-income individuals and especially people of color; and shared communications tools and tactics for how to reframe the work requirements narrative and advocate for positive strategies to end chronic unemployment and poverty.Moderator: Melissa Young of Heartland Alliance's National Initiatives on Poverty & Economic Opportunity Panelists: Elizabeth Lower-Basch of Center on Law and Social Policy, Ronald Johnson of Heartland Alliance Health, and Rebecca Vallas of Center for American Progress

The Role of Race and Birth Place in Welfare Usage among Comparable Women: Evidence from the U.S.

There is evidence that women are more likely to live in poverty than men. Given the fact that the poor are more likely to use welfare, it becomes useful to consider welfare usage among women. A-priori welfare programs are set up in such a way that welfare usage should be based primarily on economic needs and health concerns. However, it is possible that an individual's experiences could affect their perception and preferences for using government assistance. In this scenario, differences in welfare usage will exist for individuals with similar characteristics but different experiences. We explore this possibility among women and investigate if race/ethnicity and birthplace still have a role to play in the decision to use welfare even after controlling for income, health and other demographic factors like employment. We find that race does not matter for welfare usage among comparable women. In addition, we do not find any significant differences in welfare usage among women based on birthplace - suggesting that comparable naturalized and native born women share similar preference for welfare. The only exception is women born in US territories. Our results suggest that among comparable women, women born in U.S territories seem to be more inclined to welfare usage in comparison to US born White women

Rethinking Work Opportunity: From Tax Credits to Subsidized Job Placements

Examines the effectiveness of subsidized job programs under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Fund in promoting the hiring and retention of disadvantaged workers. Calls for redirecting funds from the Work Opportunity Tax Credit