NCAI Welfare Reform Update - February 6, 1998
NCAI Unveils National Tribal Welfare Reform Agenda For 1998
NCAI has been awarded contract funding by the Administration for Native Americans (ANA). Under this contract, NCAI will work with regional Indian organizations awarded ANA grants to provide tribes more concise information on implementing tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) plans. Regional ANA grantees include: California Indian Manpower Consortium (CIMC), serving tribes in the Sacramento and Phoenix areas; Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB), serving the Portland Area tribes; Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC), serving the Juneau Area tribes; Catawba Indian Nation (CIN), serving tribes in the Eastern and Minneapolis Areas; and the Oklahomans for Indian Opportunity (OIO), serving tribes in the Albuquerque, Billings, Aberdeen, Anadarko and Muskogee Areas.
Along with the ANA grantees, NCAI is also pleased to be working
with other Indian organizations who have received grants from sources other than ANA, to
study welfare reform impacts in their respective fields of expertise. These grantees
include: American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC); California Indian Legal
Services (CILS); National Indian Council On Aging (NICOA); Tiller Research, Inc.; and the
Center for American Indian Studies of the Washington University in St. Louis.
As part of the ANA contract, NCAI is planning a series of national forums on welfare reform in 1998. These forums are part of NCAI's ongoing efforts to address the impacts of the welfare reform law (Pub. L. 104-193, Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996) on American Indian and Alaska Native children and families throughout Indian country. NCAI's facilitation of these national forums also complies with the tribal leaders' directive outlined in NCAI Resolution #SFE-97-029, adopted at the 54th Annual Session of the NCAI General Assembly in Santa Fe, NM, in November 1997. The first such forum will be held on Saturday, February 28, 1998, as part of the NCAI 1998 Executive Council Winter Session in Washington, D.C. This forum, to be hosted at the Grand Hyatt's Conference Theater.
Interactive panel discussions will be conducted throughout this forum focusing on five major areas surrounding the implementation of welfare reform programs and services in tribal communities. These panels will include: 1) tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) plans; 2) job creation, job training and vocational education; 3) state/tribal partnerships; 4) children and family support services, and; 5) impact data collection methodologies. By encouraging an interactive dialog between panelists, invited speakers and members of the audience, it is expected that the sharing of information, experiences and ideas among all participants will be heightened, leading to a better understanding of the issues necessary to improve the future of welfare reform in tribal communities. The moderator for the day's event will be former Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Dr. Eddie Brown.
The second national forum will focus on the impacts of welfare reform on tribal social services. Five panels will address topics such as: welfare reform's impacts on Housing and Transportation Needs; Addictions, Dependencies and Violence; Emergency Family Assistance; Welfare of Children; and, Welfare of Elders. This forum is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 1998, at the DoubleTree Hotel - Lloyd Center, in Portland, Oregon. Once finalized, an agenda for this event will be available for review. This forum will immediately follow the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) annual conference, scheduled for April 20-22, 1998 at the same location.
The third national forum will focus on the areas of job creation,
job training, adult and vocational education, economic development and infrastructure
renovation. This forum is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, 1998, as part of the NCAI
Mid-Year Conference to be held at the Radisson Inn in Green Bay, WI, June 14-18, 1998. The
agenda for this event is currently in the planning stages and once finalized, will be
released for review.
NCAI's final national welfare reform forum for the year is
scheduled for Sunday, October 18, 1998, as part of NCAI's 55th Annual Session
at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, SC. This forum will focus on the
development of a congressional and administrative tribal leaders agenda on changes and
improvements to the welfare reform law. It is envisioned that this consensus agenda will
be developed through the collective efforts of tribal leaders, tribal welfare reform
experts and national and regional tribal welfare reform grantees, along with federal and
state welfare reform officials who have worked with tribes throughout the year in the
welfare reform arena. Once finalized and approved by tribal leaders, NCAI will forward
this consensus agenda to Congress and the Administration and continue its efforts in
securing changes to the current welfare reform law and administrative policies.
As tribal leaders have stated, "welfare reform is one of the
greatest changes to occur in Indian country since the Indian Reorganization Act
(IRA)." Significant impacts can be felt in areas such as social services, health
care, economic development, employment, adult education and job training throughout many
tribal communities. These impacts must be better understood if changes are to occur for
the benefit of tribes at both the federal and state levels. Moreover, the relationships
between tribes, states and the federal government must also be improved and commitments
strengthened in order to improve the quality of life for impoverished Indian families.
Through the directive of tribal leaders throughout Indian country, NCAI stands ready to
work with all interested parties to ensure that these changes are achieved.
For further information, please contact NCAI at (202) 466-7767 * * * * *