Projects

Teen Mothers' Residency Requirements And TANF

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program requires that minor, unmarried, custodial mothers reside with a parent, guardian or adult relative. When this is not possible, a teen parent may live in some other setting under adult supervision or be exempt from the requirement. States have broad discretion in implementing this requirement. However, to date information has not been shared among states about what residential options should be available to these teens as well as strategies to address programmatic barriers.

With support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and in partnership with the Center for Law and Social Policy and the Social Policy Action Network, CAPD is documenting state and community TANF residency policies and practices for teen parents and their children. CAPD and its partners will disseminate this information broadly in an effort to ensure appropriate, safe, and accessible living arrangements for these young mothers and their children and also to ensure that housing is not a barrier to welfare assistance for these teens.