Close to one million Hoosiers experience poverty each year. This includes almost a quarter million children - nearly the population of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Indiana’s cash assistance program for families with children - Temporary Assistance to Needy Families or TANF - is meant to be a short-term lifeline for those who have fallen upon hard times. It has two main purposes: to provide a cash benefit so that families can meet their basic needs until their situation improves and to offer non-cash support through programs and case management that help parents find and keep jobs. The Institute advocates for a strong TANF program to ensure that families with children have the supports they need to thrive.
Strong Families, Strong Indiana: The Past, Present, and Future of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program
In 2023, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation to expand TANF eligibility and increase benefits. We examine the effects of this reform, with a particular emphasis on how well TANF is meeting the needs of families in the prenatal-to-three range and additional steps Indiana could take to improve the TANF program to better serve Hoosier families.
Indiana TANF Grant Has not Increased to Meet the Growing Cost of Basic Needs
Cash assistance benefits have far less purchasing power than in 1988, as the cost of basic items have increased and benefits have lost more than half of their value to inflation.
TANF in Indiana: Its Purposes, Its Problems, and What Lawmakers Can Do to Improve It
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is meant to be a lifeline for those who have fallen upon hard times. But in Indiana, the eligibility standards and value of the benefits have eroded, leaving the program in need of reform. Find out what Hoosier lawmakers need to do to fix TANF so that it actually lifts Hoosier families out of poverty.
When it comes to programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, myths abound. Learn the facts about how many people receive cash support in Indiana, what it takes to qualify for the program, and how much cash the typical program participant actually receives. Then, share them with others!
