Date: March 4, 2024 To: Rep. Doug Richey, Chariman, and Members, Special Committee on Government AccountabilityFrom: Christine Woody, Food Security Policy Manager, Empower MissouriRe: Our opposition to HB 1560 Founded in 1901, Empower Missouri advocates for the well-being of Missourians through civic leadership, education, and research. As part of our work, we organize a statewide...Read More

Last year, we advocated against HB 2085, a bill that would prevent households which receive TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) from withdrawing those benefits in cash. This bill has been re-filed this year as HB 338, despite the fact that cash is a necessary resource, especially for households in poverty. This bill will increase...Read More

Later today, the House Committee on Downsizing Government will hear HB 2085, a bill that would prevent households which receive TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) from withdrawing those benefits in cash. However, cash is a necessary resource, especially for households in poverty. This bill will increase the burdens placed on our neighbors in poverty,...Read More

For the hundreds of thousands of Missourians struggling to afford the basics — such as food, shelter, and medicine — cash income is vital to averting extreme economic hardship. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic downturn have made clear how much Missourians need cash for a variety of basic needs: rent...Read More

(Jefferson City, MO) …. On Thursday, Missouri announced it will resume work-hour documentation requirements in August for desperately poor Missourians receiving help from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). That is at least a month before the timing called for in the SNAP program by the Families First...Read More

TANF, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, is a federal cash assistance program for low income families with children that provides for basic needs. Families who qualify receive money on a debit-like card that they can use to help cover their monthly expenses, like food, rent, clothing, and transportation. TANF’s History In 1911, a version...Read More

I have been learning about and advocating on safety net programs since I started at Empower Missouri 13 years ago, but have never really learned the history and inner workings of the TANF program.Read More

We learned about successful campaigns to increase benefit levels, create child support pass throughs, add a diaper or toiletries allowance, or end a flawed policy like the “family cap” in some states.Read More