Kansas SRS Temporary Assistance for Families and Successful Families Programs

The Successful Families Program

July 2003

The Successful Families Program has services for low income families including the following:

Cash assistance, also known as Temporary Assistance for Families (TAF)
Helps adults with their problems in getting a job
Provides support services for work, training, work activities, and education

The program helps families increase their skills, build on their strengths, and keep children in their homes.

To receive help from Successful Families, a family must have at least one child in the home under the age of 18. The child may also be an unborn baby. The child may live with a parent or a relative. The child may also live with a person named by a court to take care of the child, such as a guardian, conservator, or custodian.

Families must also have low income and resources. The income of all children and their parents in the home is counted. Some types of income and resources are not counted, such as the following:

The home where the family lives
Assets less than $2,000
Cars
Furniture, personal items, and some tools
$90 plus 40% of earnings

Families may get cash assistance while they look for work as long as they meet program requirements. This includes cooperating with Child Support Program requirements. Families can only get TAF for 60 months in a lifetime. Families who get TAF also get medical benefits and may get child care.

Cash benefit levels depend upon the family’s income. The benefit level also depends on the county where the family lives. The chart below shows the highest cash benefit a family may receive.

Cash Assistance Payments
Family Size	Rural County	High Cost Rural County	High Population Counties	High Cost- High Population Counties
1	$224	$229	$241	$267
2	$309	$314	$326	$352
3	$386	$391	$403	$429
4	$454	$459	$471	$497
5 or more	Add $61 for each additional person

Families can get other types of support services which reduce their barriers to work. Families may receive these support services while they are getting cash assistance and also for a year after they quit getting cash assistance. Families may receive different services and supports, including the following: