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o science, technology, engineering, arts or math (STEAM) o career exploration o life and soft skills o leadership and personal development o work based learning o teenage pregnancy prevention o drug, alcohol and violence prevention Additional goals include but are not limited to: o reducing criminal activity o reducing drug and alcohol abuse o reducing violence o promotion positive family outcomes o increase in school attendance o to improve self-esteem, motivation and performance of youth Financial eligibility determination is not required for the program. f. Crisis Intervention Program
To provide assistance, using Federal TANF funds, to low-income families in resolving barriers to self-sufficiency. The program may use TANF funds to:
o Meet a TANF family’s ongoing basic needs (i.e. food, clothing, shelter, utilities, household goods, personal care items, and general incidental expenses.) o Provide assistance to families experiencing an emergent need (i.e. utility payments) That cannot be met with their own income and resources. This program is designed to deal with a specific situation or an episode of need and is not intended to meet recurrent or ongoing needs. These services will not extend four (4 months).
Families are not required to be TANF eligible but must be below 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
g. The Mississippi Department of Human Services may implement a TANF Up-Front Diversion Program to provide assistance, using Federal TANF funds, to families with Emergency circumstances. As an alternative to TANF cash assistance, a family with an emergency circumstance may be eligible for a one-time short-term cash assistance payment.
To receive the diversion program assistance:
o Family unit must include an adult and dependent child(ren) under 18 years of age; o Family members must have lived in the designated disaster areas or state/federally declared emergency area at the time disaster or emergency occurred; o Family members must currently live together in Mississippi;