Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project, Philadelphia, PA [electronic resource] Dan Bloom, Erin Jacobs

2013-01-18

Ann Arbor, Mich. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor] 2013

1 online resource

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The Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ (HtE) Demonstration and Evaluation Project was a 10-year study (taken on by the MDRC) that evaluated innovative strategies aimed at improving employment and other outcomes for groups who face serious barriers to employment. The Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ was the first comprehensive attempt to understand the diverse low-income population and to test interventions aimed at the most common barriers to this population's employment. The HtE demonstration was designed to evaluate a variety of innovative ways to boost employment, reduce welfare receipt, and promote well-being in low-income populations. This study tests two employment strategies. The first employment strategy, administered by the Transitional Work Corporation (TWC), was a paid transitional employment program that combined temporary, subsidized employment with work-related assistance. The second employment strategy, the Success Through Employment Preparation (STEP) program, focused on assessing and treating employment barriers before participants obtained a job. From 2004 to 2006, 1,942 recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) who were not currently employed or participating in work activities were randomly assigned to one of the two program groups. Evaluation of the programs had three components: implementation and process analysis, impact analysis, and cost analysis. The implementation and process analysis examined how the programs operated, based primarily on site visits and interviews with program staff and administrators. The impact analysis measured the programs' effects on outcomes including employment, welfare use, and family functioning. The cost analysis compares the financial costs of the interventions. Outcomes for both groups were followed for at least three years, using public administrative records and surveys of study participants. In addition, follow-up surveys were conducted 15 and 36 months after random assignment in most sites. Information was collected on whether respondents participated in employment, vocational or education training activity. Respondents were asked whether they received help for things such as childcare, getting and/or keeping Medicaid and food stamps, paying for transportation, substance abuse treatment, addressing domestic violence, addressing legal issues, financial needs, or handling their household budget. Respondents were also asked if they received paid vacation time or sick days, where their income came from, and whether they earned any type of degree or certificate. Additional topics include health status, the length of time respondents received TANF funds, and employment history. Demographic information includes age, race, marital status, education, employment status, and home ownership status.Cf: http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR33784.v1

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June 17, 2019

Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project, Philadelphia, PA

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