Final answer:
TANF is a federal and state welfare program providing temporary cash assistance and support services to families with children, designed to foster work and self-sufficiency, with a five-year limit on federally-funded benefits.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is a cornerstone of the United States' federal and state welfare system, primarily designed to help families with children work toward economic self-sufficiency. It replaced the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, embodying a shift in welfare policy toward promoting work and time-limited assistance.
Under TANF, adults must meet certain income eligibility criteria, typically set at half the federal poverty level by states, to qualify for assistance. In addition to cash aid, TANF provides resources for childcare, job training, and employment counseling. Notably, the program is time-capped; as a rule, beneficiaries can receive federally-funded benefits for a maximum of five years in a lifetime.
While offering help such as monthly allowances and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, TANF allowances often fall short of lifting families fully out of poverty, indicating an ongoing challenge in social welfare policy.