The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) began in 1996 with the passing of the associated action. It was meant to strengthen families, encourage their workforce participation, and prevent long-term dependency on welfare (Hamilton, 2016). The program attempted to help low-income communities achieve self-sufficiency by not simply offering cash but by implementing other incentives (Hamilton, 2016). However, states tend to misappropriate the funds, and an average household receiving the TANF has a single mother with several children, which makes the stated goals obsolete (Haskins & Weidinger, 2019). Thus, two concerns exist the original reason to implement the TANF and its current failures.
Citizens should pay attention to the issue for the following reasons: caregivers’ condition, the perpetuation of poverty, and marriage deterioration. First of all, TANF recipients, especially Black women, tend to suffer from economic pressure, which may lead to depression and affect one’s parenting style (Holmes et al., 2020). Consequently, child outcomes become poorer, creating a multi-generational vicious cycle (Holmes et al., 2020). The last point leads to another problem, which is the perpetuation of poverty. The TANF does not eradicate the underlying issue with its incentives, forcing families to seek resources elsewhere, and erasing opportunities for others (Hamilton, 2016). Thus, both actual and potential recipients remain dependent and in poverty. Lastly, the TANF makes people wary of marriage, as it can render a family ineligible for its benefits, increasing cohabitation (Hamilton, 2016). A formal partnership is seen as an obstacle to welfare overall, and children might adopt the same view. Altogether, the TANF in its current state is unable to resolve the issues and only exacerbates them.
The solution to family poverty should consider what can incentivize households. The current model is based on the classical understanding of rationality, which implies that restrictions lead to independence (Hamilton, 2016). However, the approach does not consider individual circumstances preventing people from working (Hamilton, 2016). As many suffer from mental health issues, it is prudent to replace cash payments with helpful services addressing a parent’s condition (Holmes et al., 2020). The job itself should be lenient to allow a person to seek better employment in the future (Hamilton, 2016). TANF funds need tighter regulation and a more focused distribution to ensure that the crucial aspects are covered (Haskins & Weidinger, 2019). Lastly, any low-income family deserves support, regardless of its composition and formal status.
References
Hamilton, L. (2016). Incentives in the temporary assistance for needy families program: A review of the literature. Poverty & Public Policy, 8(2), 141–149. Web.
Haskins, R., & Weidinger, M. (2019). The temporary assistance for needy families program: Time for improvements. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 686(1), 286-309. Web.
Holmes, S. C., Ciarleglio, M. M., Song, X., Clayton, A., & Smith, M. V. (2020). Testing the family stress model among black women receiving temporary assistance for needy Families (TANF). Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29, 2667–2677. Web.