This paper for the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation conceptualizes a framework for a new safety net for low-income working families that is rooted in their most essential needs. It is organized around five key goals:(1) enabling parents to meet their familys needs while working in lower-wage jobs, (2) helping families weather gaps in parental employment, (3) supporting parents job advancement, (4) helping parents combine work and child-rearing, and (5) improving childrens well-being and development. The paper describes these families circumstances, discusses gaps in current safety-net programs, and explores possible alternative approaches to meeting families most pressing needs.