Welfare to Work Programs

The agency provides welfare-to-work employment services for people who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) through the L A County DPSS. The DPSS first determines the individual's eligibility for welfare recipient employment programs (GAIN). Recipients are then referred by their GAIN worker to participating partners for employment services.

The Welfare-To-Work program is restricted to:

TANF recipients who are a long-term welfare recipients, (30 months, not necessarily consecutive) or who face termination within 12 months;

or the non-custodial parent of minors where the custodial parent is one of the above;

and who face barriers to employment including:

No high school diploma or GED;

low reading and math ability;

Substance abuse treatment needed and/or

Poor work History

Welfare-To-Work programs for TANF recipients include employment services such as job readiness, job placement, on-the-job training, vendor voucher training, vocational training, and/or work experience. Services also may include basic education skills; child care subsidies; ESL; mentoring, in either job skills or life skills; substance abuse services; support services; and transportation assistance.

Opportunities for community service may be available for people who are unable to find work experience through the normal welfare-to-work channels. Agencies that provide Individual Development Accounts set up a monetary plan to save a portion of the person's work income to be used for a large expenditure such as a rental deposit, tuition payment, business capital or other goals necessary for self-sufficiency.