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Cash Assistance - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Promotes Career Development & Financial Independence

The federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides states and territories with flexibility in operating programs designed to help low-income families with children achieve economic self-sufficiency.

In Louisiana, DCFS issues TANF benefits through the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP) and Kinship Care Subsidy Program (KCSP). These programs, intended to be used to meet families’ basic needs, such as food, shelter and clothing, are fully funded by federal dollars.


Effective January 1, 2022, DCFS is increasing both its FITAP and KCSP benefits to address poverty in Louisiana, which leads the nation with 19% of individuals living in poverty.

FITAP and KCSP benefits will double. These benefits have not increased since July 2000.

Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP)

 

FITAP decreases long-term dependence on welfare assistance by promoting job preparation and work. Recipients are introduced to a career path, where they can become more financially independent through employment, training and education.

Strategies to Empower People Program (STEP)
 

All work-eligible FITAP participants are required to participate in the Strategies to Empower People (STEP) program. Under STEP, participants must complete work activity hours, which could include education, on-the-job training, job readiness or work hours. The program provides support services for employment-related activities such as transportation and child care to assist participants on their pathway to becoming self-sufficient.

Louisiana’s average TANF cash benefit (through FITAP) for a three-person household was $240, compared to the national average of $484. The new maximum FITAP benefit will match the national average of $484.

Kinship Care Subsidy Program (KCSP)

 

KCSP provides relatives caregivers critical financial support they need to care for children on a long-term basis. A foster caregiver who receives a foster care board rate is not eligible for KCSP.

In SFY 2021, KCSP families averaged 2,904 children who received benefits of $222 monthly. Beginning in 2022, KCSP will double to $450 per child.
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