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Individuals were recruited for the study if they (1) were at least 18 years old, (2) were a resident of San Diego County in California, (3) had a self-identified mental or physical disability, (4) had low income, (5) were not working or were underemployed, and (6) were a participant of California's TANF program, California's vocational rehabilitation service agency, or a San Diego County behavioral health service program. Eligible individuals who consented to enroll in the study were randomly assigned to the intervention or comparison condition. In total, 528 individuals were randomly assigned to the intervention group, and 533 individuals were randomly assigned to the comparison group. Evaluators completed analyses at the individual level, excluding any veterans who received Breaking Barriers services from the analysis to comply with federal funding requirements. Analysis also excluded sample members who reported that their English-speaking abilities were limited at the time of study enrollment.
The study enrolled individuals in January 2017 and through November 2017. Follow-up occurred 15 months after random assignment, on average.
The study was also funded by the grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and satisfied program funding requirements to conduct an evaluation.
The full research sample that was randomly assigned were mostly between the ages of 24 and 59 and spoke English as their primary language. About half were female. Common self-identified disabilities included mental health disorders (86 percent), substance use (34 percent), musculoskeletal injury/connective disorder (21 percent), and developmental/learning (18 percent). Most research sample members had a high school diploma or GED certificate (61 percent). Less than half had been employed in the past year (42 percent), though most had some employment history (92 percent). Few were receiving TANF benefits (28 percent) or SSI/SSDI (22 percent). The research sample was 40 percent White, non-Hispanic; 35 percent Hispanic; 15 percent Black, non-Hispanic; and 10 percent Other.
Breaking Barriers was designed and overseen by the San Diego Workforce Partnership, the county workforce investment board, which contracted with American Job Centers to provide services. Three job centers were operated by nationwide private providers and one was operated by a local school district.
The intervention started a year prior to the study, in January 2016, and operated through June 2018.
Breaking Barriers provided Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services within American Job Centers to eligible individuals with low income who had a self-identified disability. IPS services included career counseling, job search assistance, job development, personalized benefits counseling, referrals to supportive services, and follow-along support after individuals found a job. Employment specialists who provided IPS services maintained small caseloads in order to provide participants with individualized support.
The individuals assigned to the comparison condition received a list of other publicly available resources in the community
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On average, participants were active in the program for almost 10 months.
Breaking Barriers was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation Fund.
The intervention took place at four American Job Centers in San Diego County, California.
Physical health status; mental health status