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North Carolina

40 child support. The Department continually works to identify opportunities for appropriate program expansion while reviewing the efforts of other states.

FORMATION AND MAINTENANCE OF TWO-PARENT FAMILIES

Researchers have found many benefits for men, women, children and their communities when adults are in healthy marriages. Some individuals are less likely to remain or end up in poverty and children and youth are less likely to become pregnant as a teenager when raised by parents in healthy marriages. The mission of the Healthy Marriages Initiative is to help couples that have chosen marriage for themselves, gain greater access to marriage education services, on a voluntary basis, where they can acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain a healthy marriage. Local community-based family resource centers provide a comprehensive array of family support programs, services and activities to encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBAL PLAN According to the 2000 U.S. Census North Carolina has the largest Native American population east of the Mississippi River and the eighth-largest Native American population in the United States. This total is for people identifying themselves as Native American alone. The State of North Carolina recognizes eight tribes: • Eastern Band of Cherokee (tribal reservation in the Mountains) • Coharie (Sampson and Harnett counties) • Lumbee (Robeson and surrounding counties) • Haliwa-Saponi (Halifax and Warren counties) • Sappony (Person County) • Meherrin (Hertford and surrounding counties) • Occaneechi Band of Saponi Nation (Alamance and surrounding counties) • Waccamaw-Siouan (Columbus and Bladen counties) The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is the only North Carolina tribe recognized by the federal government. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is approved to operate a Tribal TANF plan by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. The EBCI TANF Tribal plan provides for the intake, eligibility determination, cash assistance, employment services, and case management for tribal families. The EBCI continues to operate a pre-existing Native Employment Worker (NEW) program. The State will provide each member of an Indian tribe, who is domiciled in the State and is not eligible for assistance under a tribal family assistance plan, with equitable access to assistance under the state program funded under Title IV-A of the Social Security Act. North Carolina does not include these individuals in the state’s federal work participation rate. INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNTS (IDA)

Counties may establish Individual Development Accounts (IDA) projects locally based on the counties’ resources available. Counties’ IDA projects must comply with federal and state regulations and with Section 404(h) of the Social Security Act.