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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is Delaware's main cash assistance program. It is administered through a joint effort of the Division of Social Services (DSS), Delaware Department of Labor, Delaware Department of Transportation and the Delaware Economic Development Office. The goal of TANF is to give people temporary help until they get a job that enables them to become self-sufficient. Within the program both the State and the TANF client have responsibilities. The State provides positive incentives for the family to become self-sufficient, and the family must accept responsibility to become self-sufficient and self-supporting. Time on TANF is limited for most people. You can get benefits for 36 months, but you must work to receive your TANF check.

General Program Requirements
In order to qualify for this benefit program, you must be a resident of Delaware, either pregnant or responsible for a child under 19 years of age, a US national, citizen, legal alien, or permanent resident, have low or very low income, and be either under-employed (working for very low wages), unemployed or about to become unemployed.

Your Next Steps
The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.

Application Process
Click here to go to Delaware's Application for Social Services and Internet Screening Tool (ASSIST):
https://assist.dhss.delaware.gov/PGM/ASP/SC001.asp

You can also download and fill out an application here:
http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dss/pubs.html

The completed application will then need to be submitted to your local Division of Social Services office, which you can locate here:
http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dss/ofclocations.html

Program Contact Information
For more information on the Delaware TANF program, please visit:

http://www.state.de.us/dhss/dss/tanf.html

To ask about the TANF program you can also call the Delaware of Division of Social Services (DSS) at:

302-255-9500