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TANF Section, WIOA Combined Plan Modifications 2026

21 The Transform Milwaukee Jobs program targets adults who are ex-offenders, ordered to pay child support, or involved with the Child Welfare system and in need of employment as part of a family reunification plan. The TMJ program also targets youth aged 18 through 24 who were in the foster care system at or after age 16 and need to develop job skills and work experience to become self-supporting adults living independently.

Transitional Jobs Program Under current state law, DCF may establish a program similar to the TMJ program outside of Milwaukee County if funding is available. The program outside Milwaukee County is named Transitional Jobs. The Transitional Jobs (TJ) program shares the same eligibility criteria and target populations as the TMJ program. The Department is required to give priority to areas of the state with relatively high rates of unemployment and childhood poverty, and to other areas with special needs determined by the Department. The TJ program is available in 33 counties (Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Florence, Forest, Iron, Jackson, Juneau, Kenosha, Langlade, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Pierce, Polk, Price, Racine, Rock, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Taylor, Walworth, Washburn, and Winnebago) with a mix of rural and urban areas. The TJ/TMJ programs serve Purpose 1 – Per ACF guidance from the 2009 ARRA, federal TANF funds may be used, “to serve older youth in non-assistance programs, such as subsidized employment, under TANF statutory Purpose One.” In the 2009 ARRA guidance, ACF indicates that a state could reasonably set an age for a child including an individual under age 25. These programs also serve Purpose 2 – In addition to serving childless adults between the ages of 18 and 25, both programs provide employment services to parents of minor children, in particular parents who are ex-offenders, ordered to pay child support, or involved with the child welfare system and in need of employment as part of a reunification plan.

Wisconsin Community/Community-Building Milwaukee (CBM) Services Training Workshops DCF contracts with Wisconsin Community Services (WCS), a non-profit, which provides community-building facilitator-training workshops to organizations in the city of Milwaukee that work with needy individuals who are eligible for TANF programs; this program is directed towards staff who work with needy individuals who are TANF eligible.The CBM initiative aims to incorporate a powerful change process called Community Building into social service, criminal justice and faith-based community programs through Community Building Workshops. Community Building is an intense interpersonal group process and experience that helps to encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families by promoting social and emotional learning and improves or builds on the core competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship building, and responsible decision-making skills in participants. To increase accessibility, WCS continues to offer a hybrid service delivery model that combines in-person and virtual formats. This approach ensures that TANF participants can engage in workshops and training in ways that best suit their needs, while still receiving high-quality development of interpersonal communication skills. Whether attending in person or online, participants benefit from flexible, impactful learning experiences that foster deeper connections and support positive outcomes for families. WCS will be working with local W-2 agencies to provide extensive (workforce) training with the focus on healing trauma, emotional health, and overall well-being. In addition, these skills will benefit the W-2 providers and the reduced programing efforts/needs that are