WELFARE-TO-WORK in Kittitas, Yakima, Toppenish and Sunnyside offices Welfare-to-Work provides transitional assistance, aimed at moving people receiving TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) who have significant barriers to successful employment. The goal is to help these clients move into unsubsidized employment and economic self-sufficiency. This pioneer program is part of Washington State's WorkFirst program and an integral part of overall welfare reform. Through this collaborative effort with the state's Department of Social and Health Services, 310 participants have received employment and training services, counseling and job referrals. The result has been an increase in job placements and wage progression for TANF clients and a marked decrease in people receiving TANF assistance. This has strengthened individual families as well as our community. Following initial placement into a part-time job or work experience, Welfare-to-Work clients are provided with a variety of supportive and educational services that include: career counseling, counseling to reduce or eliminate barriers, Basic Skills or G.E.D. training, classroom training, job search assistance and job referral as well as on-the-job training. S.H.A.R.E. (Support Has a Rewarding Effect) in Yakima and Sunnyside offices A part of the Welfare-to-Work program, S.H.A.R.E., is a pilot project resulting from a collaborative effort among our area’s WorkForce Development Council, the Yakima and Kittitas Prosecuting Attorneys, the Yakima office of the Division of Child Support and People For People. This project assists unemployed and under-employed noncustodial parents in securing and retaining employment. The goal of S.H.A.R.E. is to help noncustodial parents to begin, resume or increase child support payments, encourage parental responsibility and strengthen families. S.H.A.R.E. targets noncustodial parents of children receiving TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds. As a part of the Welfare-to-Work program, S.H.A.R.E. also provides clients a full range of employment and counseling services, as well as job referral and retention services. S.H.A.R.E. also provides monitoring and progress reports to the Division of Child Support and the Prosecuting Attorney’s office. Focus groups, which provide clients effective tools for problem solving, are integral to the success of the S.H.A.R.E. program. In total, 89 noncustodial parents received assistance last year through the S.H.A.R.E. Program, which resulted in a 400 percent increase in back child support payments made to the division of Child Support in Yakima County.