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Study participants were recruited through the Family Independence Program, Michigan's state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Five local offices agreed to participate in the evaluation. Staff at these offices recruited applicants and returning recipients who were eligible for cash assistance and who were subject to mandatory work requirements. Staff offered these people the opportunity to participate in the study when they arrived for orientation. Staff randomly assigned people who agreed to participate in the study and had not previously been randomly assigned. The study randomly assigned 2,081 people to the MI-GPS group (1,037) or a comparison group (1,044) from October 2016 to August 2017. After random assignment, participants attended the orientation for the group to which they were randomly assigned (MI-GPS or services as usual). Assignment and analysis occurred at the individual level.
The pilot project randomly assigned people from October 2016 to August 2017, and examined information on outcomes for up to 15 months following random assignment.
This research was funded by ACF, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
A majority (92 percent) of participants were female. Sixty percent of participants were Black or African American, and 33 percent were White. The average age was 28. Almost all sample members (90 percent) had children in their household. All sample members received or were eligible and had applied for TANF; about half (55 percent) had never received TANF before applying, and one-quarter (22 percent) had received TANF for less than one year before applying.
Five local workforce agencies oversaw implementation. The program was operated jointly by the Michigan state TANF agency, which provided cash assistance, and the Michigan state workforce agency, which provided employment services.
MI-GPS is a pilot that did not exist before the start of the study.
People assigned to the intervention condition received a goal-oriented coaching approach called MI-GPS. Major components of MI-GPS included a redesigned program orientation focused on collaborative work between participants and staff. This orientation helped participants set employment-related goals and achieve their goals. In addition, all participants were assigned to a coach. Coaches worked with participants to set goals and support participants' progress. Coaching focused on identifying and achieving small activities to move toward goals, and letting participants have ownership of their goal-setting process and activities. Finally, MI-GPS offered flexible work activities outside of those mandated by federal TANF work participation requirements.
People assigned to the comparison condition received standard state TANF services, which started with a standard orientation focused on program rules and compliance and a three-week Application Eligibility Period (AEP) focused on identifying and addressing barriers to employment. Applicants who completed the AEP began receiving cash assistance and participating in the Partnership, Accountability, Training, Hope (PATH) program, which included assigned work activities. Throughout AEP/PATH, people worked with a career development facilitator who assigned and tracked participation in work activities and worked with the participant to identify and address barriers to work.
People were required to participate to continue receiving public benefits.
MI-GPS did not specify a duration. People were required to participate to continue receiving TANF cash assistance, which is subject to a 48-month lifetime limit in Michigan. Coaches typically encouraged people to develop incremental goals that they could accomplish in three to six months. For many participants, program duration was relatively short. Only about one two-thirds of applicants were still engaged after three weeks, and about three-quarters of applicants were not receiving cash assistance nine months after random assignment.
Michigan TANF
The study took place at five local workforce agencies in Genesee and Wayne Counties, MI.
Grit, self-efficacy, perception of job search skills, motivation to work, barriers to work, and job characteristics