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LA:RISE partners recruited 963 participants to enroll in this randomized controlled trial. Individuals were randomly assigned to the intervention (481) or comparison condition (482). To be eligible for participation, individuals had to be at least 18 years old, be unemployed or underemployed and have interest in full employment, and have one of three identified major barriers to employment: (1) a criminal history, (2) housing instability, or (3) status as a disconnected youth.
Random assignment took place from September 2015 to April 2017.
The evaluation was funded through a U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation Fund grant.
Participants in the LA:RISE program were primarily Black, justice-involved men. The majority had not attained education beyond a high school diploma. Forty-one percent of the intervention group had not attained a high school diploma, and 45 percent of the intervention group had attained a high school diploma but no additional education. Most participants reported having held a job in the past five years. About one-third of participants received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Because the LA:RISE program served housing unstable and formerly incarcerated individuals, a large number of participants reported unstable housing statuses such as residing in a halfway or transitional house, living with family or friends, or experiencing homelessness.
LA:RISE was implemented by six social enterprises: the Coalition for Responsible Community Development, the Downtown Women's Center, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Chrysalis Enterprise, Goodwill of Southern California, and Homeboy Industries. These social enterprises partnered with four American Job Centers as workforce development systems partners.
This study evaluated the pilot phase of the LA:RISE program, which operated from 2015 to 2018. Program operations have continued beyond the end of the study.
Individuals enrolled in the intervention condition received at least 300 hours of subsidized transitional employment at a social enterprise or workforce development system partner, as well as on-the-job or specialized training, depending on the specific needs of the transitional job placement. Individuals in the intervention condition were also co-enrolled in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) services. Services varied but included soft-skills training, work-readiness training and assessments, supportive services, case management, education, and permanent job search and placement services. The social enterprises that served youth emphasized education more than the adult-serving social enterprises did. Participants received incentive payments when they demonstrated that they were employed.
Individuals enrolled in the comparison condition did not receive LA:RISE job placement services or coordinated enrollment in WIOA services. Individuals in the comparison condition could access all job services available in the community, including WIOA services.
None
The study did not provide information on the duration of services.
LA:RISE was designed and implemented using funding from a U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation Fund grant.
The LA:RISE program took place at a variety of social enterprise partners in Los Angeles, CA.
The study also reported findings on criminal justice-related outcomes and utilization of local continuum of care resources aimed at preventing homelessness.