MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is giving extra support to thousands of families that are in the Families First program. Any households that qualify as a "child-only case" received a one-time payment of $950 on their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards December 1, 2021.
This payment gives support to caregivers that do not receive help from Families First services like child care, job training, and transportation. “Child-only” cases are those where the adult receives no Families First benefits themselves and the child living in the household is being raised by relatives and not the child's parents.
“Families who receive ‘child-only’ benefits are often grandparents, aunts, and uncles stepping in to provide a stable and nurturing home to vulnerable children,” said TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter. “These families don’t receive all the same benefits, goods, and services as our other Families First participants despite playing an impactful role in the development of children. We hope this one-time payment provides support to address challenges they might be facing.”
The federal Pandemic Assistance Fund (PEAF) is what funded this Families First pandemic payment for "child-only" cases. The state of Tennessee did qualify for more than $12 million in PEAF dollars and this one-time payment is the first investment TDHS is making with that money. There will be additional PEAF support announced in 2022.
Families First is Tennessee’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. It is a federal funded program that emphasizes work, family strengthening, and personal responsibility to empower families for long-term success.
