Office of Family Assistance

Mission The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) invests in families and communities for economic and family prosperity across generations through effective economic supports, workforce development, and supportive services. Priorities OFA’s priorities include: - Values: Grounding OFA’s work in narratives, lived experience, and expertise that reinforces our national commitment to building family well-being. - Accessibility: Improving access to high quality services delivered by states, tribes, territories and community-based partners to improve family well-being. - Structure: Promoting the inherent leadership in each OFA team member and increasing efficiency through staff structure. - Process: Improving program administration to provide high quality service and support to grantees. - Collaboration: Promoting Intra/Interagency collaboration to address whole family outcomes. Programs Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Since replacing Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in 1996, the TANF program has served as one of the nation’s primary economic security and stability programs for families and children with low-incomes. TANF is a block grant that provides $16.6 billion annually to states, territories, the District of Columbia, and federally-recognized Indian tribes. These TANF jurisdictions use federal TANF funds to provide income support to families with children with low-income, as well as to provide a wide range of services (e.g., work-related activities, child care, and refundable tax credits) designed to accomplish the program’s four broad purposes. These statutory purposes are to: - provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives; - end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; - prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and - encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families. While TANF jurisdictions must meet certain work participation and cost sharing requirements, they have considerable flexibility with TANF funds to implement programs that best serve their distinct communities. Tribal TANF. Federally-recognized Indian tribes are eligible to apply for funding to administer and operate their own TANF programs. Tribes receive block grants to design and operate programs that accomplish one of the four purposes of the TANF program. There are currently 76 Tribal TANF programs, representing 285 federally-recognized tribes and Alaska Native Villages. Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF). OFA’s Family and Economic Stability Demonstration and Innovation Division (FED Innovation Division) administers the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) programs, which provide $150 million per year in discretionary grants, contracts, research and evaluation, and other activities to strengthen families, promote responsible parenting, and improve family economic stability. The programs were originally authorized in 2005, and continues its authorization under 42 U.S.C. §603(a)(2). These programs play a key role in helping the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) achieve its goals to foster economically secure households and communities for the well-being and long-term success of children and families. The HMRF programs are specifically designed to help interested adults and youth build stronger relationships, marriages, father-child engagement, and families. There are currently 110 grant awards to various organizations in 30 states to provide activities to promote healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood promotion activities. Native Employment Works (NEW). The Native Employment Works (NEW) program provides annual funding to 78 grantees for a variety of work-related activities to support job readiness, job placement, and job retention for Native Americans. Tribal TANF-Child Welfare Coordination grants. OFA’s Family and Economic Stability Demonstration and Innovation Division (FED Innovation Division) administers Tribal TANF — Child Welfare Coordination program, which provides $2 million per year through grants to 8 tribes and tribal organizations. The grant awards demonstrate models of effective coordination of Tribal TANF and child welfare services provided to tribal families at risk of child abuse or neglect. These projects are tailored to meet the needs of each tribe. Activities are aimed at the coordination of services: to improve case management for families eligible for assistance from a tribal TANF program; to provide supportive services and assistance to tribal children in out-of-home placements and the tribal families caring for such children, including families who adopt such children; and to provide prevention services and assistance to tribal families at risk of child abuse and neglect.