Michael Swayze's Community Resources

Category: Community Resources

  • Work First New Jersey: Programs and Supports

    For those who did not read the series last month on welfare, this article summarizes a number of programs and support services available to TANF families in New Jersey. Listed below are a number of documents that were recently published by either the New Jersey Division of Family Development or created in partnership with other agencies. They attempt to provide a working knowledge of services and benefits available to families trying to leave the welfare system.

    Information in the documents cover such topics as: employment disregards, the Supplemental Work Support program, the SAIF program, Post-TANF benefits, Transitional Child Care and the Career Advancement Voucher Program.

    Follow the links to:

    For purposes of clarification, I had the pleasure of collaborating with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless in creating the Post-TANF flyer and the Stuck…On Welfare? brochure, respectively. The WFNJ Handbook and the Support for Working Families brochure were published by the Division of Human Services.

    For information on child care and other links visit the NJ Community Resources website.

  • Supports For Working Families

    The majority of adults who leave welfare are often found to be employed in the months after they disconnect from public assistance. Many “welfare leavers” take advantage of popular social programs such as Medicaid, SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) and school breakfast programs. Other programs are not as well utilized or communicated to those attempting to become self-sufficient. The purpose of this article is to focus on a few programs in New Jersey that are not so commonly known.

    Transitional Child Care (TCC) provides a subsidy for the twenty-four months following a TANF case closing. Parents should contact their Case Manager so a referral can be sent to the child care agency in their county. Note: even if a case is closed for reasons other than employment, a parent may be eligible for TCC, if current employed.

    Supplemental Work Support (SWS) provides a $200 per month benefit for up to two years to a family that voluntarily withdraws from TANF. The application for SWS must be made prior to the case closing due to employment earnings. To qualify a household must meet the following conditions: 1) working twenty hours or more per week for the past four months, 2) have been on cash assistance for at least six months, 3) still receiving a partial grant prior to case closing. The $200 a month benefit does not count against the five year time limit. In fact, it “stops the clock.”

    The Career Advancement Voucher Program (CAVP) allows individuals to obtain additional training or education after welfare. Requirements include: maintaining their current employment, have been working for at least the past four months. A person interested in work-related classes may receive a voucher up to $4000. The benefit is only available within the two years after TANF closing date. For a referral, contact a Work First New Jersey Case Manager.

    Additional programs and benefits are available to working families. For information on these and other programs – SNAP, LIHEAP, USF, EITC and the “Get A Job, Get A Ride” program – download the attached documents. The Support for Working Families brochure was published in hard-copy earlier this year by the NJ Division of Family Development. The Post-TANF Support Services That You Need to Know About! flyer was produced in partnership with the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

    This is the second in a series of articles and documents to be issued pertaining to welfare and workforce development.

  • WFNJ Handbook

    Twenty years ago “welfare as we know it” was fundamentally changed with the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. New requirements and responsibilities are now a standard rule, along with the availability of a number of supportive services. Yet, after two decades, information is not be readily disseminated so welfare clients can make informed decisions in their efforts to become self-sufficient.

    Every applicant for cash assistance is given a handbook which gives an overview of the program, available support services, as well as information on time limits, income disregards, work activities, deferrals and sanctions.

    The handbook also details the many programs that individuals and families may receive both while receiving assistance and for the two year period following case closing. A number of these programs are under-utilized. They include: Supplemental Work Support (SWS), Career Advancement Voucher Program (CAVP), Transitional Child Care (TCC) and transportation services.

    Available for downloading is the most current edition of the WFNJ Handbook, (revised April, 2016). Also available is a Spanish version.

    This is the first in a series of articles and documents to be issued pertaining to welfare and workforce development.