3.1: Individuals and Families
Promote the economic independence and social well-being of individuals and families across the lifespan. Other Information:
HHS is committed to helping individuals and families achieve economic independence and social well-being, through individual
efforts of ACF, AoA, OCR, OD, and SAMHSA, and in concert with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Labor, States, territories,
tribes, and other interested stakeholders. The focus is twofold. First, HHS will collaborate with States in moving disadvantaged
families to work and economic self-sufficiency, using indicators to measure the movement of individuals from welfare to work,
as well as increases in child support collection. Second, HHS supports interventions that help individuals and families who
are disadvantaged improve their economic and social well-being across the lifespan; an indicator at the end of the chapter
measures the success of services to individuals with developmental disabilities. The narrative below describes the efforts,
initiatives, programs, and collaborations that the Department will implement in the next 5 years to address this strategic
objective. Many of these are continuations and expansions of existing programs. Work and Economic Self-Sufficiency: Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a block grant administered by ACF’s Office
of Family Assistance, provides temporary assistance and work opportunities to needy families by granting States the Federal
funds and wide flexibility to develop and implement their own welfare programs. TANF provides funding annually to States,
territories, and eligible tribes for the design of creative programs to help families transition from welfare to self-sufficiency.
States have tremendous flexibility in determining how to use their TANF dollars to achieve program goals. Reauthorization
of TANF in 2006 requires that States implement more meaningful work participation rate requirements in the coming years. Child
Care. To support working families, ACF provides States, territories, and tribes with direct child care assistance payments
to low-income families when the parents work or participate in education or training. In collaboration with the U.S. Department
of Education, ACF’s Office of Head Start, and HRSA, ACF’s Child Care Bureau promotes State flexibility in developing child
care programs and policies that meet the needs of children and parents within each State; supports research and evaluation
of innovative child care subsidy policies and Web-based access to reports, data, and other research-related information; and
helps families to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency by improving access to affordable, high-quality child care. Assets
for Independence. The Assets for Independence (AFI) program uses asset-building strategies to assist low-income families in
achieving economic independence. The program helps participants save earned income in special-purpose, matched savings accounts
called Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). Every dollar in savings deposited by participants into an IDA is matched by
the AFI program. The IDA mechanism promotes savings and enables participants to acquire a lasting asset after saving for a
few years. AFI program families use their IDA savings, including the matching funds, to acquire a first home, capitalize a
small business, or enroll in postsecondary education or training. In addition to helping participants with their IDA savings,
all AFI programs provide basic training and supportive services related to family financial management. AFI continues to develop
new partnerships to assist families. SCORE, a U.S. Small Business resource partner, helps AFI grantees saving for small business
startups. Moreover, the 360 IDAs Initiative now helps increase the availability of IDAs to people with disabilities and their
families. Programs of the Administration for Native Americans. The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) in ACF promotes
the goal of self-sufficiency by providing social and economic development opportunities. ANA programs offer training, as well
as financial and technical assistance, and support a range of projects for eligible tribes and Native American organizations.
ANA supports the creation of new jobs, development or expansion of business enterprises and social service initiatives, and
formulation of environmental ordinances and training in the use and control of natural resources. Future grants will continue
to support social and economic development strategies and healthy marriages to improve the well-being of children. Child Support
Enforcement. The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program is a joint Federal, State, and local partnership that seeks to ensure
financial and emotional support for children from both parents by locating noncustodial parents, establishing paternity, and
establishing and enforcing child support orders. Child support services, as mandated in Title IV-D of the Social Security
Act of 1935 (Public Law 74-271), as amended, are available for all families with a noncustodial parent, regardless of welfare
status. Child support collections play an important role for families transitioning from welfare to self-sufficiency, particularly
in light of time limits on receipt of cash assistance. By securing support from noncustodial parents on a consistent and continuing
basis, families may avoid the need for public assistance, thus reducing government spending. The CSE program continues to
make strong gains in child support order and paternity establishment, as well as in collections of current and back support.
The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005 (Public Law 109- 171) includes a series of provisions to strengthen and improve the
program. Overall, DRA provisions will both strengthen existing collection and enforcement tools and allow States the option
to provide additional support to families who need it most. These provisions include State options to direct more child support
collections to children and families that ever received TANF; new efforts to increase collections such as expanding passport
denial, mandatory review and adjustment of support orders, and improving medical support by requiring States to consider both
parents’ access to health insurance coverage when establishing child support orders; and an annual user fee for child support
cases when enforcement efforts are successful for families who have never received TANF assistance. Well-Being Across the
Lifespan: Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood. The DRA provides funding for research and demonstrations that support
healthy marriage. Approximately 125 Federal grants were awarded to States and communities to test new ways to promote and
support healthy married-parent families. Grant funds will be used to test promising approaches to encourage healthy marriages
and provide marriage education, marriage skills training, public advertising campaigns, high school education on the value
of marriage, and marriage mentoring programs. HHS supports several other healthy marriage activities and research, including
Building Strong Families, Supporting Healthy Marriages, and the Community Healthy Marriage Initiative. The purpose of the
Building Strong Families project is to evaluate healthy marriage services for romantically involved low-income, unwed parents
around the time of the birth of a child. The purpose of Supporting Healthy Marriages is to inform program operators and policymakers
of the most effective ways to help married parents to strengthen and maintain their marriages. The Community Healthy Marriage
Initiative evaluates broad-based community level coalitions that help couples who choose marriage for themselves to develop
the skills and knowledge to form and sustain healthy marriages. In collaboration with the U.S. Department of State, HHS also
promotes programs and policies at international organizations to strengthen families and marriages and to promote the preservation
of human life and dignity. The Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Initiative promotes responsible fatherhood by funding programs
that support healthy marriage activities, enhance responsible parenting, and foster economic stability. The initiative will
enable fathers to improve their relationships and reconnect with their children. It will help fathers overcome obstacles and
barriers that often prevent them from being the most effective and nurturing parent possible. Although the primary goal of
the initiative is to promote fatherhood in all of its various forms, an essential point is to encourage fatherhood within
the context of marriage. Grant funds will be allocated to promote involved, committed, responsible fatherhood through counseling,
mentoring, marriage education, enhancing relationship skills, parenting, and activities to foster economic stability. Family
Violence. ACF’s Family Violence Prevention and Services Program, administered by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB),
provides grants to States and tribes to prevent incidents of family violence, provide immediate shelter and related assistance
for victims of family violence, and support prevention services for perpetrators. FYSB also supports programs that offer safe
havens and access to services for victims of domestic violence, a national toll-free hotline to provide information and assistance
to victims of domestic violence, maternity group home services, and runaway and homeless youth shelters. Several collaborative
efforts both within HHS and in partnership with other departments and stakeholders support this effort to prevent family violence.
The National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women is an advisory body cochaired by the Attorney General and the Secretary
of HHS. National Advisory Committee members meet periodically to share their thoughts, ideas, and expertise and to submit
recommendations on a variety of priority issues as the Federal Government develops its policies to address the crimes of domestic
violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. The Greenbook initiative, a joint project of HHS and the U.S. Department
of Justice, supported six demonstration projects, helping child welfare and domestic violence agencies and family courts work
together more effectively to help families experiencing violence. Now that the funding cycle has been completed, HHS will
partner with the U.S. Department of Justice and with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to provide technical
assistance and support to communities interested in implementing the Greenbook’s recommendations. Support for Older Adults
in Home and Community Settings. AoA’s Home and Community-Based Supportive Services program provides an array of services to
older adults and their caregivers, including access services such as transportation, case management, and information and
referral; in-home services such as personal care, chore, and homemaker assistance; and community services such as adult day
care, respite care, and disease prevention, health promotion, and physical fitness programs. Together, these services strive
to help older adults maintain their independence and enable them to stay in their homes and communities for as long as possible,
delaying the need for costly institutional care. New Freedom Initiative and Olmstead Decision Response. The HHS Office on
Disability (OD) was created in 2002 as an outcome of President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative. The New Freedom Initiative commits
the United States to a policy of community integration for individuals with disabilities. OD and OCR are involved in a variety
of efforts to enhance the independence and quality of life of persons with disabilities, including those with long term needs.
OD, through the New Freedom Initiative, ensures a coordinated interagency and intergovernmental approach in support of community
integration to tear down barriers on behalf of individuals with disabilities. In Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), the U.S. Supreme
Court held that States unjustifiably segregating qualified persons with disabilities in institutions is a form of discrimination
prohibited by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336). OCR has the authority to enforce
the Olmstead decision, and has done so through hundreds of complaint investigations, voluntary compliance efforts, outreach
initiatives, and technical assistance projects. Through these efforts, OCR ensures that, when appropriate, States provide
individuals with disabilities access to services in the community. OCR will continue its Olmstead-related efforts, ensuring
that individuals with disabilities return to or remain in their communities with adequate supports. Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program. ACF’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) will continue to provide home energy assistance
through grants to States, tribes, and territories. Of the households receiving heating assistance, about one-third include
a member 60 years or older; about half have at least one person with a disability; and about one-fifth include at least one
child 5 years old or younger. For the past several years, almost 5 million households per year received LIHEAP assistance
to help them through the winter months. The program also provides cooling assistance to about 400,000 households and weatherization
assistance to about 90,000 more.
Indicator(s):
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