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FY 2001 Massachusetts Budget Proposal: Creating the Family Development Self-Sufficiency Program
Low-income families across the Commonwealth--those on or just off of Transitional Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and working poor families--face challenges in achieving self-sufficiency.
Often single parent households, these families need help getting and keeping jobs, finding quality affordable day care, accessing transportation to work, dealing with health and other personal issues.
Some provision must be made for families on TAFDC, those just off, and working but poor families. MASSCAP member agencies have significant experience working with this population through the a variety of programs developed and administered by our agencies.
The federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, established as part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, provides states with flexible resources to "develop and implement creative and innovative strategies and approaches to remove families from a cycle of dependency on public assistance and into work." (From a federal Department of Health and Human Services guidance document called Helping Families Achieve Self-Sufficiency: A Guide on Funding Services for Children and Families through the TANF Program).
We propose to access the TANF resources the state Department of Transitional Assistance holds at its discretion for a special pilot family development program (Family Development Self-Sufficiency Program) to be implemented by community action agencies (CAAs) operating in Massachusetts.
We propose budget language adjusting line-item 4401-1001 making the Family Development Self-Sufficiency Program a demonstration program to provide family development and emergency services to 2,000 low income families -- families earning less that 200 percent of poverty.
The aim of the program, modeled on the Family First Program, implemented by the Montachusett Opportunity Council, would be to help TAFDC families and working poor families successfully address obstacles that prevent them from finding a job, or moving on to a job, that pays a living wage.
We anticipate serving families cut-off of TAFDC, those denied time limit extensions, those that lose their benefits after their extensions expire, families that are working but still poor, and low-income families between jobs. We estimate that the cost of such a program will be $3,000 per family: $2,100 for case management; $900 for emergency support to address immediate household needs such as food or rent arrearages allowing families to focus on the steps they need to take to become economically independent.
The Family Development Self-Sufficiency Program would provide eligible families with intensive case management services. Working but poor families coming to the end of their two-year time limit, may face a number of needs related to housing, health, nutrition, employment, education and training, and transportation. Working closely with a case manager to identify family assets and strengths along with roadblocks to self sufficiency, the family will develop and implement a plan to meet their needs and move to self sufficiency. To remain in the program the recipient family must meet at least twice a month with the case manager and progress successfully through the plan.
Summary of Family Development Self-Sufficiency Program
- Term of the program: one year
- Administration: The program would be administered by the 25 community action agencies operating in Massachusetts.
- Cost: $3,000 per family: $2,100 for case management; $900 for emergency support to address immediate household needs such as food or rent arrearages. Total cost of $6 million (includes study/evaluation).
- Family Development: Based on the Family First Program developed and run by the community action agency in Fitchburg, the Montachusett Opportunity Council
- Emergency Services: Based on federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines (FEMA) for resource distribution for food or rent.
- Eligibility: Families earning less than 200 percent of poverty (to account for different regional costs) including TAFDC, Post TAFDC, working but poor families. We anticipate a 40-40-20 distribution based on our research and experience: 40 percent working but poor families; 40 percent TAFDC recipients; 20 percent families just reaching their 24th month.
- Participation: Community action agencies, working with other area human service providers, would identify participants.
- Evaluation: MASSCAP will work with a Massachusetts institution of higher education to the effectiveness of the program a cost of $25,000 and will make a report to the Human Services Committee no later than 3 months after the program ends.
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