Montana Pathways (TANF)

Career Transitions is the contractor for Montana Pathways – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) for the Montana Department of Health and Human Services for Gallatin and Madison Counties.

The purpose of the TANF program is to support families to be stable, able to work, and financially secure.

The Vision of the TANF program is that families will seek services and build a plan in partnership with their client advocate, achieve goals that meet or exceed the stability threshold on the Family Bridge Model, and will no longer be dependent on public assistance at the end of their journey

The income threshold to be eligible for TANF is listed in the chart below:

Family Size GMI Benefit Standard Payment Standard
1 $859 $365 $425
2 $1162 $493 $575
3 $1465 $622 $725
4 $1768 $750 $875
5 $2070 $879 $1025
6 $2373 $1007 $1175
7 $2676 $1136 $1325
8 $2979 $1264 $1475
9 $3282 $1393 $1625
10 $3585 $1521 $1775

GMI= Gross Monthly Income Standards effective 07/01/2023
Benefit Standard effective 07/01/2023
Payment Standard effective 07/01/2023


Our staff of experienced professionals educated and certified in human services continues to advocate for clients and families to engage and work with them to enhance quality of life, achieve economic stability, and become partners with a shared accountability for success.

Our Client Advocates believe that continued work with families is a vital investment for the entire community. Career Transitions’ process is to use the Montana Pathways program to shift power from the system to the family, using a strength-based approach. By integrating and leveraging community-based services, we inspire and create an engagement pathway that matters. Priority is given to those cash assistance clients/families and secondarily to others within DPHHS guidelines of 200% of poverty, meeting them “where they are” and “what they need”.

All interaction with the client/family and the Client Advocate will be conversational rather than directional. Using a motivational interview process and coaching will assist in gathering information and lead to a better outcome for the client/family.

As we believe that intentional community development is a key to success for clients/families, Career Transitions remains committed to cooperate with community investment and economic growth. Through career pathways in industries that lead to a higher level of earning, e.g., job shadowing; internships; apprenticeships; subsidized employment; clients will realize and utilize self-determination and build upon their future for self-reliance and long-term stability rather than reliance on the system.

Although DPHHS will develop an evaluation plan to measure performance for TANF integrated service delivery, Career Transitions will measure cost comparison to outcomes per client; impact of services and resources on client’s progress vs. regression and how the client/family has moved through the Bridge, at a self-determined, client/family centered success rate, strategically moving families to sustainable financial independence. As we progress with a client/family we will use continuous improvement as a model for follow-up: what went wrong; what has been learned; what to do differently in order to provide the best assistance on the client/family’s roadmap to self-sufficiency.


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