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The program served employed individuals (1) leaving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), (2) participating in the state Food Stamp Employment and Training program, or (3) participating in the Employment Related Day Care program (which provided child care subsidies to low-income, working families). A staff member contacted individuals in these groups, verified they were employed and not currently receiving TANF, and explained the Transition, Advancement, and Growth (TAAG) intervention and study. Interested participants were then randomly assigned to the intervention and comparison groups from February 2002 to April 2004. This study includes 1,164 research sample members who were single parents (another study examines effects for two-parent families). The study uses data from a 12-month survey. Individuals were eligible to complete the survey if they had been randomly assigned in January through October 2003, were 18 years old or older, and were an English or Spanish speaker.
Random assignment occurred between February 2002 and April 2004. Evaluators followed participants for three years.
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.
Sample members were all single parents. They were primarily female (91 percent) and White and non-Hispanic (90 percent). About two-thirds (63 percent) had previously received Aid to Families with Dependent Children or TANF, and 21 percent lacked a high school diploma or equivalent certification. Most participants reported an hourly wage of $7 or more at baseline (78 percent).
Oregon TANF, the Job Council (a local nonprofit), the Oregon Employment Department, and Rogue Community College collaborated to deliver TAAG.
TAAG was active from February 2002 until 2005.
The TAAG program provided retention- and career-focused case management services to low-income, employed individuals. The Medford (Oregon) Department of Human Services, the Job Council, the Employment Department, and Rogue Community College collaborated to deliver TAAG. Services were provided in teams, which included job coaches, job counselors, job developers, case managers, learning plan specialists, and employment specialists, all supervised by a project manager. The program was designed to provide services heavily tailored to the needs of individual clients (described as a customer-driven approach). Case managers provided job search assistance; counseling; coaching; career advice; advice on topics such as budgeting and conflict resolution; and referrals to education and training, financial aid, and supportive services. TAAG team members also developed and delivered a seminar on employment retention and career advancement, provided during participants' lunch hours.
People in the comparison group had access to employment-related services in the community. They could access the same employment, training, and supportive services as individuals in the TAAG program but did not receive support in finding or enrolling in these services.
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Participants could access program services for one year.
Oregon TANF (primary); U.S. Department of Labor
Medford, OR
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