HHS News Release

HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala announced today the award of cooperative agreements with eight state, city, and county agencies for innovative programs designed to change the culture of welfare. Each of the local agencies received $50,000.

"President Clinton is committed to sign a welfare reform bill that will help move people from welfare to work," said Secretary Shalala. "This administration has provided 35 states the ability to enact welfare reform with waivers. Even while Congress debates, these grants will help states change local welfare offices one office at a time."

The eight programs were selected from 42 applications submitted by state and local agencies. The programs will create and test various models for changing the focus of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program from providing benefits to moving
individuals to work.

These innovations will include a one-stop job center to transform a welfare office to a job skills and search office. Improved use of technology and staff and management training will equip workers to provide work skill orientations to recipients, to identify and match recipients with job opportunities, and to improve efficiency of managing information. Another effort will implement performance management standards to develop goals for moving people into work. Customer relations training will improve the quality of services provided to recipients, motivating both the worker and client to obtain work. Also, local welfare offices will develop partnerships with the private sector to expand work opportunities and encourage employer willingness to hire recipients.

"As President Clinton has said, welfare must be a temporary assistance program, not a way of life," said Mary Jo Bane, assistant secretary for children and families. "Everyone involved -- recipients, state and local officials, program administrators -- has
a part to play to end welfare as we know it."
The recipients are:

Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services, Maryland

State of Nevada Welfare Division, Department of Human
Resources, Nevada

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Public Welfare,
Pennsylvania

Denver Department of Social Services, Colorado

Napa County Health and Human Services, California

South Carolina Department of Social Services, South Carolina

Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Alaska

Oregon Department of Human Resources, Adult and Family
Services Division, Oregon

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Contact: Michael Kharfen (202) 401-9215