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Youth ages 18 to 23 who were living on the streets or in a homeless shelter and were physically and mentally healthy enough to hold a full-time position but had no other stable housing alternatives were eligible for the Avenues to Independence (ATI) residential program. Those who entered ATI in 1998, after Hire Up (an on-site job-readiness, placement, and mentoring program) launched, formed the intervention group, and those who participated in ATI before Hire Up was available formed the comparison group.
The individuals in the intervention group began receiving services between 1998 and 2001. Outcomes were assessed at program exit (duration of service receipt was 6 to 18 months).
Larkin Street Youth Services
Hire Up, a supplementary service to ATI (see comparison condition), was a job-readiness course comprising three weeks of daily three-hour sessions. Course participants learned job search skills and basic work skills while identifying promising careers and creating a career development strategy. As part of the course, youth met weekly with the program’s employment coordinator to discuss entry-level opportunities in the student’s field of interest. After placement, Hire Up coordinators continued to provide support to the employer and the former program member to ensure job retention. Youth also met monthly with a career mentor who offered guidance about career goals, current challenges, and other opportunities. All youth in the intervention group also received the services from the ATI program, described in the comparison condition.
The comparison group included those youth who received ATI for at least two months and did not receive Hire Up. ATI required residents to work full time in a legitimate position, as determined by the program, while the program provided them with a supportive environment in which to develop independent living skills, further their education through GED or postsecondary education courses, and pursue life goals with assistance from a case manager. While in the program, residents allocated 30 percent of their earnings to rent, which the program saved for them in an account that they transferred to clients after they completed the program.
None.