North Fork Rancheria opens new office in Atascadero
Program assists Native American families in three California counties
– North Fork Rancheria Tribal TANF, a program that provides Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, has relocated to a new office at 8865 Morro Road in Atascadero after eight years of serving Native American families in the region from its previous location.
The Tribal TANF program is a federally funded initiative operated by tribal governments to assist low-income Native American families. It offers financial assistance and support services designed to promote self-sufficiency through job preparation, work, and family stability.
The Atascadero office also serves families in San Benito County and Monterey County. According to the organization, the former location, while centrally positioned for families from Nipomo to San Miguel, could no longer accommodate the needs of the growing community.
“We had dreams of having large events like our Family Nights, an After School Program, Fall Festival etc. We had no parking and our Family Wellness room could only hold a maximum of 10 people,” the statement read. “So, several months ago we started looking for a larger location.”
After searching several sites between Atascadero and Paso Robles, the organization found a new office that met its requirements.
North Fork Rancheria Tribal TANF invites the public to celebrate the new building at an open house on Aug. 21 at 4:30 p.m.
In addition, the organization will host a “Backpacks & Education” event on July 22 from noon to 4 p.m.
The Tribal TANF program operates with the following purposes: to provide assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes; to reduce the dependency of needy parents by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; to prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and to encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.
For more information, visit www.northforkrancheria-nsn.gov or call the Atascadero office at (805) 464-2255.