101036.09-Study of Ethics, Dis

Study Name

Study of Ethics, Discipline, Goals, Employment- Basic Community College Services

Study Sharepoint ID

101036.09

Evaluation name

Evaluation of Pilot Projects to Promote Work and Increase State Accountability in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Expanding Opportunities & Reducing Barriers to Work: Mississippi

This study received a high study quality rating because it is a low-attrition randomized controlled trial with no known issues that suggest the findings cannot be attributed to the intervention.

Design

Randomized controlled trial

Services

Case management

Transportation assistance

Work supports

Financial education

Subsidized employment/transitional jobs

Unpaid work experience/internships

Soft skills training

Job readiness

Populations targeted

Public benefits recipients

Settings in which the intervention was studied

Tested in multiple settings

Demographics

Subgroups

Subgroup data - Female

Subgroup data - Male

Subgroup data - White

Subgroup data - Black

Percent Young Adults

29.15

Percent female

46.15

Percent Male

53.85

Percent No high school diploma or GED

31.90

Percent With a high school diploma or GED

68.10

Percent Employed

5.10

Percent Unemployed

79.89

Percent welfare population

100.00

Percent Asian

0.05

Percent Black or African American

69.65

Percent Hispanic or Latino of any race

1.25

Percent White not Hispanic

28.10

Percent More than one race

0.70

Percent another race

0.30

Percent Adults

70.85

Percent English Learner

0.20

Percent Postsecondary credential

10.70

Mean age

31.50

Study Characteristics

Group formation formatted

The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) enrolled 3,051 able bodied SNAP participants without dependents in the pilot, randomly assigning them in roughly equivalent numbers to one of three groups: the Enhanced Community College Services (ECCS) group (eligible for enhanced services and any other employment and training services available in the community), the Basic Community College Services (BCCS) group (eligible for enhanced services (fewer than the ECCS group) and any other employment and training services available in the community), and the control group (eligible for existing SNAP E&T services and any other employment and training services available in the community).

Study timing formatted

Three years

Study funding formatted

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Nutrition Service, Contract Number AG-3198-B-15-0002/12319818F0080

Sample Characteristics

EDGE targeted both new and current work registrants.

Implementing organization formatted

Mississippi Department of Human Services, East Mississippi Community College, Itawamba Community College, Jones County Junior College, Mississippi Delta Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Jobs for Mississippi Graduates

Program history

EDGE was one of 10 pilot programs across the country authorized and funded by the Agricultural Act of 2014 to offer enhanced SNAP E&T services to help connect SNAP participants to employment opportunities.

Treatment condition formatted

The Ethics, Discipline, Goals, Employment (EDGE) - Basic Community College Services (BCCS) group was offered limited case management, support services, and a choice of three pathways—academic (basic education, post-secondary education, or occupational skills training), work (subsidized or unsubsidized employment), and life skills (work or behavioral skills).

Comparison condition formatted

The control group was eligible for eligible for existing SNAP E&T services and any other employment and training services available in the community. Mississippi offered limited services through its mandatory program; the control group received 30 days of up-front job search followed by workfare, plus transportation support. Tuition assistance and GED classes were available in some counties.

Mandatory services formatted

Case management, Basic skills/bridge programs, Job readiness

Timing of study formatted

Average length of participation was 5 months.

Program funding formatted

Federal SNAP Pilot Funding

Setting details formatted

29 counties in Mississippi

Delivered by public or private entity?

Public-private partnership

Secondary domains examined

The study reports impacts on food security, health, well-being, and housing status.