Native Family Assistance Program Guide - DPAweb - Alaska ...

BackgroundFrom the outset, the State of Alaska has supported the establishment and developmentof Native TANF programs and has been committed to collaboration in the delivery ofservices to needy families applying for public assistance (TANF, Food Stamps, AdultPublic Assistance and Medicaid). In October 1998, the Tanana Chiefs Conference(TCC) began the first Native Family Assistance Program in Alaska. At that time, theDivision of Public Assistance (DPA) partnered with TCC and through a demonstrationmodel was able to grant state funding to TCC to supplement their federal TANF blockgrant. TCC established a “significantly similar” program and used the same eligibilityrules as the Alaska Temporary Assistance Program (ATAP).Building on TCC’s success, in 2000 the 21 st Alaska Legislature passed a law allowingthe Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) to award Alaska Native FamilyAssistance grants on a temporary pilot program basis to four Alaska NativeOrganizations: Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP), Central Council ofTlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (T&H), Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), andMetlakatla Indian Community. AVCP, TCC, and T&H chose to take advantage of thepilot program. Instead of requiring the Native Organizations to follow the same eligibilityrules as ATAP, the legislation allowed state funding for Native Family AssistancePrograms that were comparable to ATAP; the program rules no longer had to be thesame as ATAP.In 2005, the 24 th Alaska Legislature further acknowledged the achievements of the pilotprograms by passing a law that made the Native Family Assistance Programpermanent. The law was also amended to expand the availability of Native FamilyAssistance grants to all of the 13 Native Organizations listed above that are authorizedin the federal law to operate Native TANF programs.Alaska’s Native Family Assistance ProgramsAs a result of this change in law in 2005, four more Native Organizations beganoperating Native Family Assistance Programs: Cook Inlet Tribal Council Incorporated,Bristol Bay Native Association, Kodiak Area Native Association, and Maniilaq AreaNative Association.There are currently seven Native Family Assistance Programs operating in Alaska. Theseven existing Native Organizations and their beginning dates of operation are:4Native Family Assistance Program Guide Revised 12/11/12