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STATE OF ARKANSAS TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES REVISED 2023 Page 29 of 46 8.3 Plan to Reduce Unwed Births and Teenage Pregnancy Introduction Unmarried birth prevention should be viewed as -a process, not a program, involving multiple strategies and multiple agencies in a sustained effort. The rise in unwed births is an urgent social problem that resists easy solutions. Arkansas' approach is multifaceted with four major components: xAbstinence programs using funding in the welfare reform act xImproved access to family planning services statewide xCommunity-based efforts in targeted counties xTwo state level steering committees to coordinate the efforts Abstinence Programs Arkansas Act 1705 required the establishment of the Community Investment Initiative to provide services to children, adults, families, and parents. The TANF-funded Community Investment Initiative includes a component designed to improve outcomes for youth. These outcomes include reducing risky behaviors such as sexual activities, drug use, and criminal behavior. Partnerships are formalized with community and faith-based organizations through the award of TANF-funded contracts on an annual basis. These community partnerships recognize the reduction of out-of-wedlock births as a priority and have developed programs that include strategies to enhance educational attainment, reduce teenage pregnancies, and reduce the incidence of criminal behaviors by participating youth. Services offered by providers meet TANF Goal 3, to prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies by providing prevention and intervention programs for students who live in poor communities and/or show evidence of academic underperformance, dropping out, or engaging in negative behaviors that can lead to dependency, out-of-wedlock births, or imprisonment. Improved Access to Family Planning Services Arkansas Act 1705 required the establishment of the Community Investment Initiative to provide services to children, adults, families, and parents.