Community Outreach

Community Outreach

The ETSU Center for Community Outreach serves as the Families First, Family Focused Solutions, Non-Custodial IMPACT, and Healthy Careers Provider for the State of Tennessee. 

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Families First

Families First, the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, is a workforce development and employment program. This program is temporary, with a primary focus on gaining self-sufficiency through employment. Families First helps participants to reach this goal by providing temporary cash assistance, transportation, child care assistance, educational supports, job training, employment activities, and other support services. 

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Family Focused Solutions

The ETSU Center for Community Outreach serves as the Family Focused Solutions Provider for thirty-four counties in the Northeast, East, and Southeast Regions in Tennessee. This is a grant program that is funded and under an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Human Services.  We help Families First participants overcome barriers and build a better life for themselves and their children. 

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Healthy Careers

Healthy Careers is a partnership between ETSU and Blue Care TN, funded by the Department of Human Services.  Together, we have created a workforce program designed to assist income-eligible clients with employment in healthcare with private healthcare providers. This partnership allows income-eligible candidates to become employed in entry-level jobs to achieve self-sufficiency. The goal is for customers to work their way up the career ladder and maintain employment. ETSU staff utilizes holistic case management services to help customers identify and remove barriers while providing various supports. This program is offered in the Southeast Tennessee region, with an office in Chattanooga.

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Non-Custodial Parent IMPACT


The Non-Custodial Parent IMPACT program utilizes a Two-General Approach to reach families across eight counties in Tennessee.  The grant works closely with the First, Second, and Third Judicial Districts in an effort to assist Non-Custodial Parents in achieving training and employment success while providing a nurturing environment for the parent/child bond to be developed and to thrive.  It is our intent and focus to help place families in Tennessee on a better path towards economic security.