Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed  “One Door to Work” legislation to create the new Louisiana Works department that integrates the state’s workforce and social services programs. Louisiana’s safety net programs—like nearly every other state— previously acted separately from workforce development programs, which connect unemployed people with job opportunities.

The Problem: Louisiana and Most States Don’t Help Welfare Recipients Find Work 

Work is one of the most powerful tools for escaping poverty. It’s often unemployment that drives people to look to the safety net for help in the first place. Yet welfare programs do not connect recipients to work opportunities.

Louisiana is addressing this problem with the One Door to Work legislation. With this new law, Temporary Aid to Needy Families Program (TANF) and workforce programs are now merging in administration and service delivery. The new agency, called LA Works, will help welfare recipients get the social services help they need while also connecting them to employment opportunities. Additionally, SNAP and disability determination services will transfer from DCFS to the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH). Efficiency and customer service will be enhanced with this transition because Medicaid already shares some backend similarities with these programs, including technology. LDH plans to integrate these services with LA Works, however, ensuring that beneficiaries experience a true “One Door” service delivery system.

Key Benefits of LA Works

  • One-stop access to job training, employment services, and support programs.
  • Personalized career coaching to guide people toward self-sufficiency.
  • Reducedlong-term dependence on public assistance as more individuals enter the workforce.
  • Helps employers fill open jobs with qualified candidates.
  • Delivers better outcomes for welfare recipients.

A Proven Model: Learning from Utah

This transformative legislation is based on Utah’s One Door model—a 1990s reform that integrated Utah’s welfare and workforce support programs and helped the state achieve some of the nation’s lowest rates of unemployment, poverty, and participation in food stamps and Medicaid. Utah is the only state in the country that has fully consolidated social services and work support—and now Louisiana is following suit. 

Why this matters now

Louisiana faces serious economic challenges: The Pelican State has the nation’s highest poverty rate and one of the lowest rates of labor force participation—with only 58.7 percent of the working-age population employed or looking for a job. At the same time, employers across the state are struggling to fill thousands of open jobs. 

The One Door legislation offers a clear solution. By integrating workforce programs with the safety net, Louisiana will give welfare recipients the resources they need to survive while also helping them find employment. This reform will help move struggling individuals out of poverty and into self-sufficiency while also growing Louisiana’s economy. 

Daniel J. Erspamer, CEO of the A4O member the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, noted:

“With the passage of One Door, Louisiana is now a national leader in meaningful welfare and workforce reform—streamlining the system to better serve vulnerable individuals. Our safety net should do more than just help struggling people get by—it should help them build a better future. Welfare programs should connect recipients to job opportunities so they can break out of poverty and into a flourishing life. Louisiana’s One Door legislation helps make that possible.”  

Read Erspamer’s related op-ed in the Washington Examiner here.