BPA has conducted numerous welfare reform evaluations for states and counties following the landmark federal welfare reform legislation that established the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in 1996. TANF provides states with a high level of flexibility to determine how best to meet the program goal of moving families off of cash assistance and into employment and long-term self-sufficiency. BPA's TANF evaluations have focused on two central concerns of policy makers: How do families fare when they leave cash assistance? What strategies are most effective in helping participants achieve long-term self-sufficiency?

To address these questions, BPA's welfare evaluations have incorporated process studies to examine various facets of TANF program implementation as well as quantitative analysis of program administrative data to measure a variety of TANF-related outcomes. Our implementation studies have examined diversion strategies, case management and assessment, work activity assignment, and use of contractors to provide services to TANF participants. We have also examined the process by which former TANF participants access other supportive services, including child care assistance, Food Stamps, and Transitional Medicaid. Our quantitative studies have examined: the incidence of various barriers to employment among TANF participants; employment, earnings, and earnings growth of TANF participants after program exit; household income and poverty rates of former TANF participants; utilization rates of supportive services and programs by former participants, including child care assistance, Food Stamps, and federal and state earned income tax credits; and the effect of these supportive services programs on family income and poverty rates.

Related Projects:
Comprehensive Evaluation of Louisiana Family Recovery Corps (LFRC) Services
Multiple method evaluation of the implementation and impact of a means-tested case management services program designed to help displaced Louisiana families recover from the 2005 hurricanes and flood.

Care Not Cash Homeless Caseload Decline Study
Assessing the whereabouts and well-being of the homeless individuals who exited the County Adult Assistance Program (CAAP) during the year following the May 2004 implementation of the Care Not Cash initiative.

An Evaluation LIFETIME (Low-Income Families' Empowerment through Education)
A process and outcomes evaluation of LIFETIME's (Low-Income Families' Empowerment through Education) PEER (Peer Empowerment and Education Retention) program.

California Welfare Time Limits Study
Evaluation of the implementation of the welfare reform time limit in California and the impact of the time limit on families receiving TANF cash assistance.

State of Louisiana's TANF Evaluation
Evaluation of the implementation of Louisiana's TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) program and TANF-funded initiatives and of the impact of these efforts on the welfare of TANF program participants and their families.

TANF Child Care Collaboration Evaluation
Evaluation of a joint initiative of the Child Care Law Center, the Welfare Law Center, and the National Organization of Women's Legal Defense and Education Fund to address legal issues related to the child care needs of low-income families.

An Evaluation of Arkansas' Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) Program
Evaluation of the implementation of the State of Arkansas' welfare reforms to assist participants to move into the work force.

Evaluation of the Colorado Works Program
Evaluation the welfare reforms undertaken by State of Colorado to assist participants in obtaining employment and achieving self-sufficiency.

An Evaluation of North Dakota's Training, Education, Employment and Management (TEEM) Project
Evaluation providing feedback on the implementation of welfare reform in the State of North Dakota.

Evaluation of the OPTIONS Program: Changing the Culture of Welfare Federal Demonstration Project in Napa County, CA
Evaluation of a Napa County, California's implementation of welfare reform prior to and post-TANF and the impact of its reforms on leavers.