PEOPLE UNITED FOR FAMILIES (PUFF)

PEOPLE UNITED FOR FAMILIES (PUFF)

POVERTY è to è PROSPERITY

July 1999

“supportive services such as child care and transportation provided to families who are employed.” States are allowed to use federal TANF funds to provide a range of supports to low income families that do not receive any other form of cash benefit without running the 60-month lime clock or requiring an IRC. Example, a state could create a monthly transportation benefit that serves working poor families who earn too much to qualify for TANF;

Short-term benefits that address a specific crisis or episode of need and that are not intended to meet and ongoing or recurrent need (like paying for past debts!). Short-term aid cannot extend beyond 4 months, but families can receive help more than once a year if need be;

Refundable state earned income tax credits;

Subsidies provided to employers to cover employee wages, training, etc.

Counseling and employment services that do not provide basic income support.

TANF Work Requirements

The federal government has given states the authority to define and describe what is considered as a work activity.

Final regulations clarify that the required hours of participation in a work activity can be a monthly average of a participants weekly hours.

The final regs extensively discusses the importance of education activities (like post-secondary & English-as-a-second-language class) and encourages states to adopt programs to take advantage of existing educational opportunities.

Penalties for failing to meet work participation rates

States can have penalties from failing to meet work participation rates if it has reasonable cause. This includes: good cause domestic violence waivers, assistance to refugees, natural disasters, or if feds provide incorrect information to the state! (Why doesn’t this go for participants too??)

Sanctions

A state is subject to a penalty if it does not properly impose sanctions. This includes if they fail to sanction someone when they should have done so, and if they sanction someone who should not have been.

States will also be penalized if they sanction a parent caring for a child under 6 who can’t find child care.

Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Spending

States must spend a specified amount of their own funds in order to receive federal TANF $. In Colorado the amount is $32,000,000

The states are required to spend this money on low income, TANF-eligible families.

The MOE contribution is intended to ensure states make a meaningful financial commitment to welfare reform efforts.

The welfare law says states can establish different eligibility rules different TANF programs. Example, a state could establish different financial criteria for families no longer receiving TANF cash assistance so family members can receive transitional services.

Data Collection

This regulation was set to ensure states report information on families, programs and results so they can be compared across states.

States must report how they are referring people who have left the rolls to other benefit programs like short-term aid (like diversion), Medicaid and Food Stamps.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday, July 15 6:00 PM

Tivoli Room 640 (see page 3)

Affordable Housing Forum: how can TANF funds assist families secure and maintain housing

Wednesday, July 21 5:00 – 7:00 PM

DDHS 3^rd Floor

Denver Welfare Reform Board Meeting

Wednesday, July 28 3:00 PM

Denver Department of Human Services

Housing meeting

DID YOU KNOW?

Having cash flow problems? Need help with move-in costs? Car insurance? Did you have an unexpected expense (like emergency room visit) and now can’t pay your utility bills? The DDHS can help.

DDHS has a program called County Diversion that will help families cover short-term needs for a specific thing or type of assistance. This assistance will NOT count against their 2 year or 5 year time clocks. County diversion is available to families whose income is at or below 225% of the Federal Poverty Level (see below). Families must be employed or show that they will start work within 30 days of applying. Diversion will be provided twice a year in amounts no more than $800 each time. More can be allocated upon approval from DDHS administrators. For more information about County Diversion call Beth at PUFF 303-623-1540.

1999 Federal Poverty Level

Family size FPL 225% FPL

2 $922 $2,074

3 $1,157 $2,602

4 $1,392 $3,131

5 $1,627 $3,660

6 $1,862 $4,189

YOU Are Invited to the Next

PUFF Meeting

When: Saturday, July 17

Time: 10:30 - Noon

Where: First Unitarian Church, 1400 Lafayette St.

Join us to plan action on the

Issues you care about

Children are welcome! Child care and lunch is provided free of charge!

Transportation assistance available.

Call Beth to reserve child care, 303-623-1540.

Please come and bring your friends!

PUFF (People United for Families)

655 Broadway, Suite 300

Denver, CO 80203

Phone: 303-623-1540 ext. 15

Peopleunited@juno.com

In this issue:

Denver Settles Class Action Suit

On Illegal Sanctions

Washington Finalizes TANF Regulations

Affordable Housing Forum 7/15

This newsletter is written by low-income women for low-income women to:

Keep people informed of the issues we are working on;

Be a voice where we have had none;

Share information;

Provide group support; and

Protect our rights.