"Shortchanging Survivors: The Family Violence Option for TANF Benefits"
The report examines the federal Family Violence Option (FVO), which offers potentially life-saving aid to survivors of domestic violence. The Option, which is part of Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), allows states to exempt victims of domestic violence from welfare eligibility requirements that undermine their safety or penalize them for their status. However, the report finds that the vast majority of eligible victims do not benefit from the Option’s protections.
The authors argue that access to TANF benefits is especially crucial under the recession, during which instances of domestic violence have risen at alarming rates. Survivors of domestic violence often try obtain TANF assistance in order to afford living apart from their abusers. However, TANF’s requirements to seek employment and child support can pose major challenges for survivors: As they work to rebuild their lives, survivors often must attend court dates, medical appointments and therapy – which can complicate the search for employment. Additionally, seeking child support from an abuser may require a victim to face the abuser even when it is not safe to do so.
The report offers case studies of three cities -- New York, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco -- which illustrate the significant problems or shortcomings in the way the waiver is being implemented. It also provides recommendations to federal, state and local governments to improve abused women's access to the TANF benefits, as well as recommendations to local TANF offices, advocates and service providers.
The report was released by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, which aims to prevent and end homelessness through impact litigation, public advocacy and public education.
