“The problems with TANF are so big. I think most people don’t know the scope of the problems,” says Mariah Sanchez, Special Programs Coordinator at Crossroads for Women (CRFW). “Even as direct service providers I think we assume they are doing their job to support the community but on the ground they’re not. It can be really harmful in the long run, not only for the mothers and fathers trying to pursue TANF but also the family unit as a whole.”
Last fall the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty (NMCLP) approached CRFW about partnering with staff and clients to help bring awareness and address the many problems associated with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in our state. As part of the TANF project, CRFW was awarded a sub-grant from NMCLP to provide support and financial assistance to Crossroads mothers participating in the two-year endeavor.
Crossroads’ women are a huge part of the systems change work happening in New Mexico. Our mothers have had this horrible experience and they’re working hard to transform that for the other mothers after them. Who better to be a part of this systems change work than the people who have gone through it?
Mariah Sanchez, CRFW Special Programs Coordinator
In January 2021, the project began with a CRFW community-wide online advocacy group led by Sanchez. Out of those discussions, smaller online focus groups were created to work on some of the problems with the TANF program. Staff members from NMCLP guest hosted those groups with support from CRFW staff.
“They already knew about some of the issues but talking to our mothers specifically shifted the project from being an exclusively TANF related issue to a Child Support Enforcement Division issue,” says Sanchez. “Across the board from our community, whether it be mothers pursuing TANF or mothers being charged from TANF, the biggest issue is the connection between child support enforcement and the TANF program.
What started as an online advocacy group due to the pandemic has transformed into a project garnering national attention. This September national nonprofit newsroom ProPublica published an in-depth article entitled “These Single Moms Are Forced to Choose: Reveal Their Sexual Histories or Forfeit Welfare”. The article looks at the struggles and issues mothers face when they seek welfare assistance, including TANF. Crossroads mothers contributed to the article revealing what it’s really like to navigate the welfare system.
A few weeks ago, NMCLP sent proposed regulation changes to the Child Support Enforcement Division with support from CRFW and NMCAN. The next part of the project is filming testimonial videos for PBS NewsHour. Sanchez and three Crossroads mothers invested in the project are currently preparing for their interviews which will air in the coming months.
“Crossroads’ women are a huge part of the systems change work happening in New Mexico,” says Sanchez. “Our mothers have had this horrible experience and they’re working hard to transform that for the other mothers after them. Who better to be a part of this systems change work than the people who have gone through it?”
“It’s awful that they had to go through horrible experiences for anyone to even listen to them, but our women are working hard not only to change the TANF regulations so they can get financial support but also giving voice to people who are overlooked.”