Examines trends in the state programs' caseloads, eligibility rules, and characteristics of families receiving assistance. Presents experts' views on lessons from the recession and insights into funding, TANF's role in the safety net, and reauthorization

Olivia Golden

Sheila R. Zedlewski

English

IssueLab

Next Steps for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

This is a critical time to review the core of our nation’s safety net for families with children. Congress will have to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program before funding runs out at the end of 2010. Yet, despite intensive research at TANF’s inception, we know surprisingly little about its recent evolution. The recession has raised fundamental questions about how to conduct an effective work-focused assistance program and how TANF fits into the broad array of safety net programs. At the same time, there may be lessons in how states have responded to staggeringly high budget deficits as well as to the funding and policy opportunities offered them through the federal stimulus package. To learn more, the Urban Institute convened a roundtable meeting with experts from the federal and state governments, research institutions, and the advocacy community for a broad-ranging dis-cussion (box 1). We began by establishing a shared understanding of recent trends in the TANF pro-gram, including caseloads, state program rules, and the characteristics of families served by the pro-gram. The group sought to identify lessons learned from the recession—perhaps the greatest test of the program since it began—and concluded with ideas for the future of TANF, as well as insights and perspectives on the upcoming congressional reauthorization. Although the participants expressed a wide range of perspectives and opinions, shared themes dominated the conversation. These included a broad discussion of TANF program goals, espe-cially of finding the right balance between TANF’s dual roles as a work program and a basic assis-tance program that provides a safety net for struggling families. Participants also had a lively discussion of the TANF work participation rate requirements, questioning the right way to main-tain a focus on work without promoting unpro-ductive responses from states. Program funding was another theme, including whether funding should automatically adjust during periods of high unemployment or inflation and how much flexibility states should be given. Another theme covered TANF’s role in the safety net

Sheila Zedlewski

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https://www.issuelab.org/resources/7520/7520.pdf

Next Steps for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

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