TANF Purpose
1. To provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the home of a relative;
2. End the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage;
3. Prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals for preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies;
4. Encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.


Category Legend
A: Community Based Family Services (These non-employment programs provide necessary services to support and preserve the family as a unit and to ensure the safety of children).

• family preservation
• home visitation
• emergency assistance
• mentoring services
• parent education

B: Promoting Self-Sustaining Employment (These programs embody a personalized approach to helping individuals secure self-sustaining employment).

• job retention
• employment services
• vocational training
• training individuals in career paths, e.g., home health aides
• microenterprise

C: Inter-agency Collaborations (These programs seek to make existing systems function more effectively, promote the integration of various services and systems, and support the development of an integrated services infrastructure).

• contracts with community-based/faith based programs
• project evaluations
• job fairs
• GIS mapping
• one-stops

D: Multi-County Collaboration (These programs utilize neighboring county staff and services to assist individuals to sustain self-sufficiency).
E: Violence Prevention (These programs provide efforts to curb violence that are destructive to individuals and/or families).

• domestic abuse programs that are not focused on counseling individuals
• establishment of safe places for children, youth, and families
• domestic abuse research
• development of domestic abuse awareness curriculum
• support groups for families

F: Education Programs (These programs are designed to assist individuals with basic education skills including services to limited English proficiency individuals, disabled individuals and learning opportunities that are not employment training programs).
G: Family Counseling (These programs provide mental health and/or substance abuse treatment services, domestic violence counseling and other innovative approaches to assist individuals remove barriers to attaining self-sufficiency).

• mental health counseling;
• substance abuse counseling, and
• domestic abuse counseling.

H: Health-related Programs (These programs are designed to assist individuals and families access appropriate health-care).

• not mental health or medical services
• dental care

I: Children’s Programs (These programs focus on infants, pre-school and pre-teens ages 12 and under).
J: Youth Programs (These programs focus on teenagers ages 13-18 and young adults ages 18-24).

• pregnancy prevention
• summer youth employment

K: After School Youth Programs
L: Foster Child

• Emancipated Youths

M: Corrections/Probation
N: Child Care

• child care capacity building
• child care for non-needy, non-parent caretakers
• child care during non-traditional hours

O: Housing (emergency/short-term).

• relocation

P: Transportation

• loan and vanpool projects
• public transportation expansion
• purchase of vehicle(s)
• vehicle repair(s)

Q: Advocacy and Legal Services (These programs provide services to individuals who need assistance with legal issues);

• immigration issues
• record expungement

R: Individual Development Accounts (This system will assist individuals with saving money that will go towards education, home purchases and/or starting a business).
S: Reserve/Placeholder (Counties are reserving a portion of their fiscal incentive funds pending evaluation of current and future programs).
T: Backfill Single Allocation (These funds are earmarked for core services in case of a shortfall in the CalWORKs single allocation).
U: Administrative

• building or facility improvement
• staff development
• purchase of computer hardware and software
• hiring staff