The first round of PEAF payments, issued in December 2021, helped over 1,500 Mississippi families.
This week, 136 low-income Mississippi households received a one-time payment of $1000 in emergency financial assistance under the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) initiative administered by the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS).
This second round of emergency assistance funding includes families that qualified for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) from December 7, 2021, through February 7, 2022. The first round of PEAF payments, issued in December 2021, helped over 1,500 Mississippi families.
“As Mississippi’s workforce emerges from the pandemic, MDHS is encouraging low-income families to qualify for TANF and the TANF Work Program through their MDHS county office,” said Human Services Director Robert “Bob” Anderson. “We know that many families are still struggling to meet their basic needs and regain meaningful employment. MDHS’s TANF program can assist with financial assistance and job training today for many of Mississippi’s under-employed or unemployed.”
To be eligible for this financial payment, individuals must be a resident of Mississippi and active TANF recipients. TANF is the monthly cash assistance program for low-income families with children under 18. TANF benefits are available for children and their needy caretaker relatives who do not have enough income or resources to meet their everyday needs by state program standards.
The TANF program is designed to help needy families achieve self-sufficiency through employment and training activities provided by the TANF Work Program (TWP). TANF supportive services such as assistance with childcare and transportation expenses are available to help the adults in the family prepare for employment and promote self-sufficiency. Cooperation with the TANF Work Program (TWP) is a requirement of receiving TANF unless the adult in the family meets an exemption.
The goal of TANF is to end the dependence on public assistance by preparing residents for a job by helping them with job readiness training, job skills training, vocational training, other educational training programs, and assisting them in finding and keeping a job.
If a recipient receives notice of PEAF eligibility but does not receive their payment via their Way2Go card, the recipient is asked to call their local county office.
To apply and learn more about TANF, please click here (https://www.access.ms.gov/).
In general, to qualify for TANF, families must include a child under age 18 and be residents of Mississippi. Children under age seven must comply with TANF immunization requirements, and children ages 6 to 17 must attend school and have satisfactory attendance. Minor parents under age 20 who are in high school must have satisfactory attendance.
For additional information or questions about qualifying for TANF, please visit the MDHS website (https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/
Press Release
3/29/2022
Magnolia Tribune
