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America Works and Goodwill staff in Brooklyn, NY, and Queens, NY, randomly assigned 2,699 job-ready cash assistance applicants or recipients to the B2W program or the IJS program from October 2015 to October 2016. Randomization occurred from the pool of applicants who had applied for cash assistance at a Family Assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) center, had attended two B2W orientations sessions and had been screened for job readiness . Job readiness included (1) having at least an associate's degree, (2) being currently employed or employed in the last three months, and (3) expressing a readiness to seek and start a job. People then provided consent to participate in the study and were randomly assigned to a group with a 1:1 ratio. For random assignment, evaluators used New York City's management information system operated by the Human Resources Administration (HRA). A total of 1,345 people were assigned to the B2W program group, and 1,354 people were assigned to the IJS program group.
The Job Search Assistance (JSA) Strategies Evaluation studied impacts of B2W and IJS from October 2015 to October 2016.
The JSA Strategies Evaluation was funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in ACF, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contract number is HHSP23320095624WC / HHSP23337017T.
About half of the sample (57 percent) was female. Three-quarters of participants were Black (74 percent), and about 15 percent were Hispanic or Latino of any race (15 percent). The average age of the sample was 35, and about half of participants (53 percent) had a high school diploma or equivalent or less.
New York City Department of Social Services and HRA, through America Works and Goodwill Industries as vendors.
Vendors for New York City's Department of Social Services have operated the B2W program since 2013. The HRA started IJS as a pilot program in certain B2W vendor offices in summer 2015.
B2W provided job search assistance to job-ready cash assistance applicants, requiring participants to engage in 35 hours of job search assistance activities per week on site at B2W sites. During their first meeting, B2W participants worked with a case manager to make an employment plan. Services were provided in groups and one-on-one and included attending job search classes, meeting with job developers and case managers, looking for jobs online in the office, attending job interviews, and improving soft skills. Participants also had access to supportive services, including transportation assistance and work clothing. Participants were required to go to the program office daily until they were approved for cash assistance. After finding employment, participants were offered monthly contact with office staff for six months to discuss solutions to job-related challenges. The goal of B2W was to improve participants' job search skills and help them find and obtain a job.
Job-ready cash assistance applicants assigned to the IJS program were required to search for employment independently for 35 hours per week and meet with program office staff once per week for six weeks. During their first meeting, IJS participants worked with a case manager to make an employment plan. IJS participants could engage in B2W group classes, job development, and other on-site job search assistance activities, but these were not required. Participants also had access to supportive services, including transportation assistance and work clothing. After finding employment, participants were offered monthly contact with office staff for six months. The goal of IJS was to limit the burden on participants of having to attend daily sessions at the program office while still helping them obtain employment.
Cash assistance applicants who did not participate in their assigned program activities (either B2W or IJS) were denied cash assistance.
Study participants engaged in program activities during their cash assistance application period and before approval, which typically lasted four to six weeks. After a participant was approved for cash assistance, they continued in the B2W program for two more weeks or the IJS program for six more weeks. Job search assistance was limited to 12 weeks.
The JSA Strategies Evaluation was funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in ACF, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The programs were operated in Brooklyn and Queens. People applied for cash assistance at a New York City HRA Job Center and participated in B2W or IJS at the vendor offices of America Works or Goodwill Industries.
Receipt of services, use of job search tools, factors that affect decisions to apply for a job, job characteristics, job search skills, motivation, and barriers to work