Special Projects:
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training (SNAP-ET
Purpose:
SNAP E&T is designed to help SNAP participants, possessing various degrees
of job readiness and experience, gain fulfilling employment through:
- Workshops
- Job Search
- Support Services
- Work-related clothing
- Work-related tools
- Transportation assistance
- Bus pass
- Gas reimbursement
- Car repairs
- Work permits
Eligibility:
SNAP E&T participation is mandatory for household members age 16 through
59 unless specifically exempt from work requirements.
Benefits:
The SNAP E&T Program assists household members to gain skills, training
or work experience to increase their ability in obtaining employment.
SNAP E&T participants may receive payments or reimbursements for:
- Support Services
- Work-related clothing
- Work-related tools
- Transportation assistance
- Bus pass
- Gas reimbursement
- Car repairs
- Child care
Non-Compliance:
Failure to comply with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
requirements results in a loss of SNAP benefits for the member.
Special Projects: Child Poverty:
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
of 1996 refers to the Social Security Act, Section 413, for Child
Poverty. It requires each state to submit an annual statement of the
Child Poverty rate in the state. The first statement was due May 31,
1998. In Two girls reading books subsequent years, if the Child Poverty
rate increases by 5% or more from the previous year as a result of
the state's TANF program, the state is required to prepare and submit
a corrective action plan to the Secretary within 90 days.
A corrective action plan will outline the manner in which the state
plans to reduce their Child Poverty rate and a description of actions
to be taken. The state shall continue to implement the corrective
action plan until it is determined the Child Poverty rate has decreased.
Three factors in developing the Child Poverty rate are as follows:
- The number of children who receive free or reduced-price lunches.
- The number of SNAP households.
- The County-by-County estimates of children in poverty as determined
by the Census Bureau.
Special Projects: Out-of-Wedlock Reduction:
One of the greatest concerns of Congress in passing the PRWORA was the
negative effect of out-of-wedlock births and the need to address issues
relating to marriage, stability of families, and the promotion of
responsible parenthood.
Nevada supports the goal of reducing out-of-wedlock births and curtailing
the negative effects of such to birth mothers, the children, the family,
and society. A contract is in place with the Division of Health to
educate, provide birth control supplies, examinations, laboratory
testing, tubal ligations and vasectomies for selected males. This
program is primarily aimed at those in the twenty (20) to twenty-nine
(29) age brackets.
Special Projects: Teen Pregnancy Prevention:
One of the main goals of NDWSS is to prevent and reduce the incidence
of teen pregnancy rate among women ages fifteen (15) to seventeen (17)
by one third or no more than thirty-five (35) per one thousand (1000)
births by the year 2005.
To reach this goal, the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services
has been teaming up with outside agencies in order to improve Nevada's
out-of-wedlock / teen pregnancy birth rates. The state funnels money
from the TANF Block Grant to five (5) Community Action Teams throughout
Nevada for teen pregnancy prevention.
Special Projects: Statutory Rape Education:
Countless studies show teen mothers are far less likely to graduate
from high school, have a 75 percent likelihood of Welfare dependency
at some time in their lives, 50 percent experience domestic violence
and suffer more health complications with pregnancy. Children of teen
mothers are more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs or affiliate with
gangs, drop out of high school, are three times more likely to serve
prison time and more likely than others to become teen parents themselves.
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of
1996 requires states to conduct a program designed to reach State and
local law enforcement officials, the education system, and relevant
counseling services, providing education and training on the problem
of statutory rape so teenage pregnancy prevention programs may be
expanded in scope to include men. The law shows considerable concern
for the issue of teenage pregnancy and its impact on Welfare. A variety
of provisions address this issue, many of them governing the conditions
under which pregnant or parenting teenagers may receive welfare.
The goals of Nevada's Statutory Rape Project are to support more aggressive
enforcement of statutory rape laws in Nevada and to promote prevention
of statutory rape therefore, reducing teen pregnancies.
In 2000, the first year of the project, the University of Nevada School
of Medicine, through contract with the Division of Welfare and Supportive
Services, produced a training curriculum which includes a compressed
video titled "In Harm's Way: Our Children and Statutory Rape". The
Nevada Public Health Foundation, through contract with the University,
developed and produced a two hour training curriculum, manual and
compressed video designed to reach state and local law enforcement
officials, the education system and relevant counseling services
statewide which provide education and training on the problems of
statutory rape so teenage pregnancy prevention programs may be expanded
in scope to include men. They also provided a compressed video
transmission for six 2-hour presentations. Training sessions offer
remote satellite communication. Distance Education courses were made
available via the Internet by accessing the Foundation's web site.
In 2001, the second year of the project, the Nevada Public Health
Foundation, through contract with the Division of Welfare and Supportive
Services provided; technical training to local law enforcement personnel,
including police, prosecutors, and judges, education systems, social
services, and other relevant counseling services, to receive education
and training on the problem of statutory rape. The project has also
extended its efforts out to the general public to increase awareness
of the extent of the statutory rape problems in order to develop a
public mandate to aggressively enforce statutory rape laws. Along with
the education a marketing campaign has also followed with brochures
and videotapes.
In 2002, a planned third year of the project, the Nevada Public Health
Foundation, through contract with the Division of Welfare and Supportive
Services, will provide technical education and assistance to professionals,
including police, prosecutors, judges, victims witness advocates,
social workers, teachers, other services providers and the general
public to include parents and adolescents in order to increase the
number of arrests and successful prosecutions for statutory rape
violations and to better assist victims. A resource manual will be
developed, to include experts and organizations nationwide, who can
provide technical assistance to prosecutors, judges, police officers,
and victim witness advocates in the investigation, prosecution, and
adjudication of statutory rape cases. NPHF will continue to educate
through a marketing campaign consisting brochures and videotapes. In
order to further enhance victim's assistance, the Nevada Network Against
Domestic Violence, through subcontract with the Nevada Public Health
Foundation, will develop and deliver professional education on domestic
violence training.
In 2003, the NPHF, through contract with the Division of Welfare and
Supportive Services continued to provide technical education and
assistance to service providers and the general public. The project
also introduced evaluations to determine if the class participants
increased their knowledge as a result of participation.
2004 - 2005 will see a continuance and expansion of services. Project
goals for 2004 - 2005 include:
- Utilize information acquired in the Statutory Rape Education Project
Evaluation to improve the program and deliver additional resources
for education professionals and voters of the need to enforce
statutory rape laws.
- Provide technical education and assistance to professionals,
including police, prosecutors, judges, and service providers, to
increase the number of arrests and successful prosecution for
statutory rape violations and to better assist victims.
- Increase reporting of statutory rape.
- Increase victim awareness and services to reduce harm of statutory
rape to the adolescent victim.
- Increase awareness in order to generate a public mandate to
aggressively enforce statutory rape laws.
Special Projects: Repatriation Program:
Purpose:
The Repatriation program is intended to provide temporary assistance,
care, and treatment for individuals after their return to the United
States from travel in a foreign country due to physical or mental illness,
destitution, or because of war, the threat of war, or a similar crisis.
Eligibility:
The repatriates eligibility must be:
- Certified by the Department of State, in the form of a referral
to the Department of Health and Human Services
- Have US citizenship
- Present in the United States at the time of application
- Possess no means of income
- Sign a repayment agreement
- Medical / psychiatric care
Benefits:
The repatriate may be provided:
- Cash
- Vouchers
- In-kind assistance
- Direct payment of certain bills
Special Projects: Crisis Intervention:
When families are in crisis due to domestic violence, loss of their
residence, etc., NDWSS social workers find shelter and assist the
family through the crisis through intervention, guidance and referrals
to other agencies and providers.