Helping Coloradans in crisis

melia Dubois, 32, had two children and an abusive ex. She lost her home to a fire. And she was battling cancer. The Loveland woman never thought she would be in this place. She came to public assistance just over two years ago looking for a ladder out of hell. We helped her get Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits. Then, we helped her find a career that gave her hope and a future.

“What Larimer County Workforce does is they listen to what you love and help you make a career,” she said.

Dubois now works for the Loveland Housing Authority as a maintenance coordinator. She has her sights set on becoming a building inspector and opening her own business.

I can’t tell you how thrilling it is to see the progression of Coloradans like Amelia. It’s why so many of us choose to work in human services. Since 2013, some 10,542 welfare recipients have found gainful employment through Colorado Works, Colorado’s TANF program. We are proud of these numbers — and these individuals who show grit and determination in getting off welfare.

In some ways, however, their success is a double-edged sword. When Amelia got a good job, her success was not measured in the TANF work participation rate.

You may have heard about this measure recently, as Colorado was listed as one of 23 states and two territories that did not achieve prescribed rates for 2012. The trouble is, this rate measures very specific time frames and activities, such as going to school or volunteering. What it doesn’t measure is a recipient’s progress toward getting a job, success in the labor market or ultimate independence from government support. And that is a shame.

At CDHS, we are focused on getting real jobs for real people. While our successes in this arena aren’t measured by the work participation rate, others have surely noticed.

The Systems to Family Stability National Policy Academy has chosen to spotlight Colorado and seven other states for their successful employment and self-sufficiency outcomes for TANF recipients. This recognition is something we’re very proud of. We get people back to work and back to productive lives.

To be clear: The work participation rate is an important measure and we will meet it. And once we do, any potential fine goes away.

It’s also important to note that we are not alone in having had difficulty with this process measure. To my knowledge, in the last eight years, no state has actually paid a penalty for failing to meet the work participation rate, though many have been cited.

Moreover, federal lawmakers and others continue to raise questions about the efficacy of the work participation rate, and discussions about overhauling it are ongoing.

This is what the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities had to say about the work participation rate in 2013: “The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has described the current work participation rate as providing only a partial picture of state TANF programs’ effort and success in engaging recipients in work activities. In fact, one of the biggest limitations of the work rate is that states don’t need to move TANF recipients into actual paid employment to meet the rate. TANF is likely the only employment program in which getting participants into paid employment is not a key measure of success.”

There are a lot of ways to explain our philosophy when it comes to helping people get off public assistance, but I’m partial to how Amelia describes our work: “They don’t say, ‘Here’s a job. Take it and be happy,’ ” she said. “They say, “Here’s a future for you and your family.’ ”

I couldn’t have said it better. Levetta Love is director of the Office of Economic Security at the Colorado Department of Human Services.