- Log in to post comments
Subgroups
Recipients of TANF who appeared to be stuck in low-paying jobs (that is, who worked 30 hours or more per week for at least six months but were still eligible for TANF) were randomly assigned either to receive ERA services aimed at increasing their earnings or to participate in a comparison group with business-as-usual availability of services. A total of 1,728 eligible TANF recipients were randomly assigned to one of these groups between February 2002 and March 2003; the ERA condition included 854 participants, and the comparison condition included 874 participants. For the 12-month survey, the survey-eligible sample included sample members who were randomly assigned between September 2002 and March 2003 and met the following eligibility criteria: residence in Cook County, minimum age of 18, single-parent status, and ability to speak English or Spanish. All 747 eligible sample members were selected to participate in the survey, of whom 598—306 in the ERA group and 292 in the comparison group—completed the survey. For the 42-month survey, the survey-eligible sample included sample members who were randomly assigned between February 2002 and March 2003 and met the following eligibility criteria: residence in Cook County, minimum age of 18, single-parent status, and ability to speak English or Spanish. Of the 1,613 survey-eligible sample members, 1,314 were randomly selected to be interviewed. The respondent sample represented the 1,023 sample members who completed the 42-month survey.
February 2002 through June 2006
The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in ACF at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded the study, with support from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Participants in the study were single-parent recipients of TANF cash assistance benefits who worked 30 hours or more per week for at least six months but were still eligible for TANF. More than 87 percent of participants were Black and non-Hispanic. Nearly all (99 percent) were female, and 100 percent had children in their household. More than half (56 percent) were high school dropouts. About 55 percent had some employment covered by unemployment insurance in the two quarters before random assignment.
Employment and Employer Services
The program began at same time as the study in February 2002. The program operated until June 2004.
People eligible for the program were recipients of TANF who worked 30 hours or more per week for at least six months but were still eligible for TANF. ERA services aimed to increase their earnings. Clients were invited to an orientation session, were offered a $50 gift certificate for attending the session, and were asked to consent to participate in the study. Consenting clients who were randomly assigned to ERA in Chicago (operated by a for-profit company) could meet with a career and income advisor who would help them develop a career and income advancement plan. The advisor counseled participants about how to advance in their current job and (more commonly) helped them apply for higher-paying jobs in companies that had relationships with the program. Services could include education and training, but fewer than one-quarter of program participants received those services. In addition to the 30-hour work requirement that was part of their TANF participation, clients had to maintain regular contact with their case manager; failure to do so could result in a sanction of their TANF benefits. The staff-client relationship often continued after people left TANF.
People assigned to the comparison condition could continue to receive cash assistance and could participate in other programs that were normally offered in the community. The study reported that some clients received substantial support from the Illinois Department of Human Services, particularly if they worked fewer than 30 hours per week. People assigned to the comparison condition were subject to Illinois’s typical TANF work requirements.
Participants assigned to the ERA condition were required to participate in the program to receive TANF assistance.
The program served participants for up to 12 months after their date of random assignment, even if they left TANF.
Illinois Department of Labor
Cook County (city of Chicago)
Transportation, Work environment and job characteristics, Benefits received at work, Household income and composition, Child care, Health care coverage