Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
Date posted: 04/30/2008
Quick Data Links
Larimer County Households Receiving TANF Cash Assistance
Since the introduction of welfare reform in 1997, cash assistance to eligible families is administered under a program called Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). This program, intended to promote self-sufficiency, assists low-income families by transitioning them from monthly cash assistance to entry into the workforce. Program assistance is limited to families with dependent children or parents of an unborn child. The amount received is based on the number of family members. Benefits are generally limited to 60 months over an adult recipient's lifetime.
What this chart shows:
Larimer County Households Receiving TANF Cash Assistance, 2003 - 2007
Data Source: Larimer County Department of Human Services
What these data tell us:
During the five-year period from January 2003 to December 2007 there was a 69% decrease in the number of households in Larimer County receiving TANF benefits. In September of 2004, the state implemented a new computer system, the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS), which collects data differently from the previous method. Data reporting difficulties were experienced statewide. In Larimer County, families continued to receive benefits despite reporting problems with the database. When TANF was reauthorized in 2006, a new regulation eliminated support for post-secondary students. Effective October 1, 2008 support will again be available for those clients pursuing a college degree.
Data Source: Larimer County Department of Human Services
What these data tell us:
During the five-year period from 2003 to 2007, there was a 66% decrease in the average monthly number of households in Larimer County receiving TANF benefits. In 2007, the average number of households assisted by TANF decreased by 2 families, or less than 1%, from 2006.
In September of 2004, the state implemented a new computer system, the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS), which collects data differently from the previous method. Data reporting difficulties were experienced statewide. In Larimer County, families continued to receive benefits despite reporting problems with the database. When TANF was reauthorized in 2006, a new regulation eliminated support for post-secondary students. Effective October 1, 2008 support will again be available for those clients pursuing a college degree.
Additional Information:
On Compass -
- Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)
- Children in Families - Single and Two Parents
- Economy: Business
- Food Stamps
- Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP)
- Median Family Income
- Per Capita Personal Income
- Poverty
- Reduced/Free School Lunches
- Self-Sufficient Wages
Outside Compass -
- Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute/ The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2004: A Family Needs Budget - this report, produced by the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, uses the Self-Sufficiency Standard to calculate the income needed by families in each Colorado county to meet basic needs without public or private assistance.
- The Childcare Assistance Fund provides grants for childcare, enabling single-parents to pursue career-advancing educational opportunities. A joint endeavor of the Bohemian Foundation and the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, the Childcare Assistance Fund accepts applications in the spring of each year; recipients are typically notified of their status by mid-July.
- Federal Poverty Guidelines
- Larimer County Department of Human Services - Basic Assistance Programs
- MDRC - Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation is a non-profit, social policy research organization that publishes numerous reports about family self-sufficiency issues.
- National Center for Children in Poverty - a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and policy organization at Columbia University that provides a TANF Policy summary for all fifty states.
Standards or Targets: N/A
Data Table:
Number of Households Receiving TANF Cash Assistance - Larimer County
|
|
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004* |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
January |
592 |
545 |
767 |
912 |
886 |
592 |
614 |
472 |
|
February |
602 |
456 |
771 |
861 |
951 |
603 |
595 |
436 |
|
March |
620 |
549 |
759 |
814 |
951 |
626 |
609 |
457 |
|
April |
579 |
665 |
793 |
881 |
919 |
624 |
601 |
420 |
|
May |
602 |
593 |
784 |
912 |
873 |
646 |
571 |
407 |
|
June |
516 |
603 |
779 |
919 |
919 |
682 |
592 |
381 |
|
July |
525 |
632 |
780 |
1,195 |
1,005 |
620 |
540 |
379 |
|
August |
509 |
618 |
846 |
902 |
997 |
615 |
516 |
350 |
|
September |
545 |
632 |
971 |
874 |
649 |
608 |
489 |
338 |
|
October |
459 |
635 |
947 |
887 |
640 |
604 |
489 |
328 |
|
November |
563 |
639 |
934 |
854 |
588 |
608 |
481 |
300 |
|
December |
533 |
665 |
952 |
861 |
607 |
620 |
485 |
287 |
|
Yearly Total |
6,645 |
7,232 |
10,083 |
10,872 |
9,985 |
7,448 |
6,582 |
4,555 |
|
Yearly Average |
554 |
603 |
840 |
906 |
832 |
621 |
549 |
380 |
*The Colorado Benefits Management System, implemented statewide in September 2004, experienced technical difficulties with data reporting.