A Descriptive Study of Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Programs

A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF TRIBAL TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF) PROGRAMS OPRE Report 2013-34 September 2013 A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF TRIBAL TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF) PROGRAMS FINAL REPORT OPRE Report 2013-34 Heather Hahn, Olivia Healy, and Chris Narducci – The Urban Institute Walter Hillabrant – Support Services International September 2013 Submitted to: Girley Wright, Project Officer Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation Administration for Children and Families U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Project Director: Heather Hahn Urban Institute 2100 M St NW 5th Floor Washington, DC 20037 Contract Number HHSP23320095654WC This report is in the public domain. Permission to reproduce is not necessary. Suggested citation: Hahn, Heather, Olivia Healy, Walter Hillabrant, and Chris Narducci (2013). A Descriptive Study of Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Programs. OPRE Report # 2013-34, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This report and other reports sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation are available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/index.html Acknowledgments This report was prepared as part of a study funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) under Task Order Number HHSP23320095654WC. We would like to thank all the individuals who participated in interviews and discussions for this project, particularly Tribal TANF staff and participants who gave their time so that others could learn from their experience. We also appreciate the comments we received from our project officer Girley Wright, other OPRE and DHHS staff, and our internal project advisor, Nancy Pindus. We would like to acknowledge the excellent research of our other project team members, Diane Levy (The Urban Institute), Judy Earp (Support Services International), and Alana Fields (Support Services International). All errors and omissions remain those of the authors. Tribal Advisory Group Members We would like to thank the members of the Descriptive Study of Tribal TANF Programs’ Tribal Advisory Group. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of these members. Miriam Jorgensen, Ph.D. Research Director, University of Arizona Native Nations Institute Research Director, Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development Sarah L. Kastelic, Ph.D. Chief of Staff, National Indian Child Welfare Association Don Shircel Director, Family Services Tanana Chiefs Conference, Inc. Leila Help-Tulley, M.S.W. Training Manager, Staff Development and Training Department Navajo Nation Division of Human Resources OVERVIEW Dozens of American Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages and corporations administer Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. These tribes and villages have chosen to administer Tribal TANF programs, either alone or as part of a consortium with other tribes, rather than having tribal members receive benefits and services from state TANF programs. Through an examination of four diverse Tribal TANF programs, this study provides an in-depth, systematic description of program implementation, operations, outputs, and outcomes in selected sites, and identifies promising practices and other areas for further study. The four Tribal TANF programs examined in the study were Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin’s Tribal TANF program, the Navajo Nation Program for Self Reliance (NNPSR), the Tanana Chiefs Conference’s (TCC’s) Athabascan Self-Sufficiency Assistance Project (ASAP), and South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency’s (SPIPA’s) Tribes Assisting Native Families (TANF) program. The study included visits to the four Tribal TANF programs and analyses of information available in Tribal TANF plans and program documents, as well as data from HHS, the Census Bureau, and other data sources. Overall, the study found that tribes use the flexibility of Tribal TANF to create diverse programs that reflect their unique circumstances, opportunities, and cultures. Elements of tribal culture were evident in the program design, in the way program staff and clients interacted, and in the types of activities in which clients were engaged. The Tribal TANF programs in the study generally focus on the broad goal of self-sufficiency, beyond the narrower goal of employment. The four sites vary dramatically in geography, government, and other circumstances, but their clients face consistent challenges in achieving self-sufficiency, including a lack of