Each day, Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) employees and partners work toward the collective goal of building a thriving Tennessee. We believe that when we have an intentional focus on meaningfully improving the lives of each and every customer with which we interact, we are helping to build a stronger household, neighborhood, community, and state … a stronger and more thriving Tennessee.
DHS does this using a Two-Generation Approach (2Gen), developed by Ascend at the Aspen Institute, a hub for breakthrough ideas and collaborations that move children and their parents toward educational success and economic security. Our goal has been to develop a foundational framework for DHS, where all programs are comprehensively aligned to ensure that appropriate 2Gen approaches are applied when working with all customers in all aspects of case management and service delivery. This is the path we have taken to structure services to address intergenerational poverty and create a pathway to prosperity for families in Tennessee. The 2Gen “Whole-Family” approach is focused equally and intentionally on services and opportunities for the parent and the child.