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The HPOG programs aimed to recruit individuals with low income to participate in the study. To be eligible for the study at all programs, individuals had to have low income, as indicated by receiving public benefits or having income below a threshold based on the federal poverty line. (The threshold varied by program.) Most programs also required individuals to have some minimal level of basic skills, and many conducted criminal background checks and evaluated applicants' interests and skills to determine eligibility. Eligible individuals were randomly assigned to intervention and comparison groups from March 2013 to November 2014. At 5 of 23 HPOG grantees (including 5 of 42 HPOG programs), individuals were randomly assigned to one of three study groups: a comparison group not eligible for HPOG services, a group eligible to receive standard HPOG services plus noncash incentives, and a group eligible to receive standard HPOG services only. This review examines the contrast of the group eligible to receive enhanced services (the intervention group) and the group eligible to receive standard HPOG services (the comparison group). Other reviews examine the effects of alternative service enhancements and the contrast of all individuals eligible to receive HPOG and all individuals assigned to comparison groups not eligible for the program across the 23 grantees.
The study randomly assigned participants between March 2013 to November 2014 and collected data 15 months later.
ACF, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The HPOG programs aimed to recruit TANF recipients and other individuals with low income. Across all 42 programs, 89 percent of study participants were female, 63 percent had one or more children, and 84 percent were not married. About one-quarter (24 percent) were Hispanic, and about one-third (34 percent) were Black and not Hispanic. The average age was 32. At baseline, 12 percent of participants lacked a high school diploma or equivalent certification, whereas 20 percent had a postsecondary degree or certificate. Forty-three percent were working, and 26 percent were in school. Fifty-six percent received the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, and 13 percent received TANF.
There were five grantees that implemented HPOG with noncash incentives: Bergen Community Colleges (New Jersey), Gateway Community and Technical College (Kentucky), Alamo Community College District and University Health System (Texas), the Suffolk County Department of Labor (New York), and South Carolina Department of Social Services.
Programs received grants about 2.5 years before the study began. Many HPOG grantees had a long history of providing employment and training services.
Individuals in the intervention group received services from three HPOG grantees as part of one of five HPOG programs. These services typically included a range of educational, training, and employment supports. The intervention group for this study was eligible to receive standard HPOG services and could also receive incentives for completing key courses and securing or obtaining employment. Incentives could be in the form of supplies, personal items, household goods, or gift cards but could not be cash.
The comparison group was given access to all HPOG services except the incentives.
None.
Across all 42 HPOG programs, trainings ranged greatly in length, from six weeks to four years. Most individuals enrolled in short-term programs (six to eight weeks), but the career pathways approach encouraged individuals to enroll in multiple programs over time.
ACF, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The study took place in Boone County, KY; Essex County, NJ; Suffolk County, NY; San Antonio, TX; and South Carolina.
Job quality