Temporary Assistance To Needy Families (TANF) Fact Sheet
Background and Purpose
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program
was created by the Welfare Reform Law of 1996 (the Personal
Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act or PRWORA).
TANF became effective July 1, 1997, and replaced what was commonly
known as welfare: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC),
the AFDC Emergency Assistance program, and the Job Opportunities
and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs.
Title I of PRWORA included Charitable Choice provisions that
apply to the TANF program. The provisions give States the authority
to administer and provide TANF services through contracts with
charitable, religious, or private organizations. The provisions
also allow the State to provide its clientele with certificates,
vouchers, or other forms of disbursement, which are redeemable
with such organizations. Hence, the State may provide direct
or indirect services to TANF–eligible clientele through
these organizations. The provisions also set forth certain requirements
to ensure that faith–based and community–based organizations
are able to compete on equal footing for funds under the TANF
program, without impairing the religious character of such organizations
or diminishing the religious freedom of the State’s TANF
clientele.
In 2003, HHS issued a final rule implementing the Charitable
Choice statutory provisions in PRWORA as amended. The statute
and final rule establish requirements for State and local governments
that administer or provide TANF services and benefits through
contracts or through certificates, vouchers, or other forms
of disbursement. The requirements and protections also apply
to organizations (including faith–based organizations)
that provide services and benefits with TANF funds and to the
beneficiaries of those services.
Federal funding for TANF is available to States in the form
of a block grant. States and Territories may use their block
grant in ways that are reasonably calculated to accomplish any
of the four statutory purposes of the TANF program:
- Assisting needy families with children so that children
may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives
(includes providing low–income households with assistance
in meeting home heating and cooling costs);
- Reducing dependency on government benefits by promoting
job preparation, work, and marriage;
- Reducing and preventing out–of–wedlock pregnancies;
and
- Encouraging the formation and maintenance of two–parent
families.
- For example, support services may include individual and
family counseling, nonmedical drug and alcohol treatment,
and literacy or bilingual education for TANF–eligible
families. For information on how the funds are used in your
community, contact the TANF agency in your State.
For example, support services may include individual and family
counseling, nonmedical drug and alcohol treatment, and literacy
or bilingual education for TANF–eligible families. For
information on how the funds are used in your community, contact
the TANF agency in your State.
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