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1000.1 TANF MANUAL 7/19 PAGE 7

1000.1 THE VIRGINIA INITIATIVE FOR EDUCATION AND WORK (VIEW)

The mission of the Department of Social Services is as follows: People helping people triumph over poverty, abuse and neglect to shape strong futures for themselves, their families and communities. VIEW plays a vital role in helping families triumph over poverty by providing employment, education, and training opportunities. The goal of participation in VIEW is the achievement of a living wage.

In Virginia, the benchmark for a living wage is the United Way’s Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) threshold, which measures the income needed to afford necessities, taking into account the locality cost of living, the size of the household, and the ages of the family members. More information about ALICE can be found at unitedforalice.org.

VIEW offers Virginians living in poverty the opportunity to:

1. Obtain work experience and work skills necessary for self-sufficiency 2. Contribute to the self-sufficiency of their families 3. Achieve economic independence

The VIEW Program offers a number of education, training, and work components designed to meet the individual needs of the TANF recipients required to participate in VIEW. These components, referred to generically as work activities, are divided into core and non-core work activities.

A. Core Work Activities

The core work activities, and any limitations on their use for federal participation rate calculations, are described below.

• Job Search/ Job Readiness.

Job search includes applying for and interviewing for jobs through participation in group job search, job club, or through individual job search.

Job readiness includes many of the activities that are part of structured job search programs such as group job search or job club – instruction in work place expectations, help in developing resumes and interviewing skills, and life skills training. Additionally, job readiness includes substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, and rehabilitation services necessary to help a participant become job ready. Clients may be assigned to job readiness before, during, or after a job search assignment.

Limitations: For purposes of the federal work participation rate calculation, an assignment to job search and/or job readiness (including job readiness for the purpose of substance abuse, mental health, or rehabilitation services), cannot count for more than 4 consecutive weeks. Additional consecutive weeks cannot be counted in the calculation of the federal participation rate.

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