Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF)
Helping needy families with children is both in their interest and in ours as a society. One way we help is through cash assistance for the poorest families, though we require parents who can to move from welfare to work.
Background
Every year Texas receives a federal block grant called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which the state can spend on helping low-income families but currently goes primarily to child protective services and foster care. Cash assistance, child care, family support programs, adult education and training services, and pre-kindergarten and extended day programs are all TANF services. The federal government requires “maintenance of effort” (MOE) from state funds for the state to qualify for continued federal funding. TANF provides cash assistance only to extremely poor families with children.
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