- Log in to post comments
Subgroups
Three Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) sites recruited eligible participants: persons who had received cash assistance for 12 months since 1997 or who lacked a high school degree or equivalent. Participants were randomly assigned at the time of recruitment and eligibility determination to the TWC program, the STEP program, or a comparison group. Between October 2004 and May 2006, 1,942 participants were randomly assigned as follows: 731 to the TWC, 725 to STEP, and 486 to the comparison. This review focuses on the TWC and STEP groups, treating the STEP group as the intervention group and the TWC group as the comparison group. A seperate review compares these study groups treating TWC and the comparison group and STEP as the intervention group. Contrasts of the TWC versus comparison group and the STEP versus comparison group are also available in separate reviews.
Participants were randomly assigned between October 2004 and May 2006. Researchers assessed impacts for the first six quarters.
The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Among participants assigned to both groups, the average age was between 29 and 30. In the TWC group, 79 percent of assigned participants were Black, 17 percent were Hispanic, 3 percent were White, and 2 percent reported another race or ethnicity. In the STEP group, these percentages were 84, 12, 3, and 1, respectively. In addition, 24 percent of the TWC participants and 25 percent of STEP participants reported having received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) for five or more years.
Jewish Employment and Vocational Service (STEP) and Transitional Work Corporation (TWC)
The STEP program was run by the Jewish Employment and Vocational Service organization and is based on the Maximizing Participation Project. The STEP program was discontinued after June 2007. The TWC's transitional work program was initiated in 1998 to provide transitional jobs to Philadelphia TANF recipients. The TWC was implemented largely as is for the study.
The STEP program supported TANF recipients in securing jobs. STEP participants received home visits from staff, followed by extensive assessment to determine barriers to employment. Participants were then assigned a case manager and began participating in activities tailored to overcoming their barriers. Activities included GED preparation, English classes, life-skills classes, professional development, behavioral coaching, and so forth. They then worked with job coaches and job developers to find permanent employment.
The TWC began with a two-week orientation and then placed participants in a government or nonprofit job (paid minimum wage by TWC) for six months, during which time they also received case management services, job mentoring, job search assistance, and general education diploma (GED) preparation. Participants were also eligible for retention bonuses of up to $800 after six months of employment in a permanent job.
People had to participate to continue receiving TANF, and they were sanctioned for nonparticipation.
A typical participant in the TWC engaged in up to six months of transitional employment and was eligible to receive additional supports from TWC for up to six months after finding or being placed in permanent employment. Information is not available on the typical length of receipt of STEP services.
The program was funded through Pennsylvania TANF.
The study took place at three Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) sites in Philadelphia.
None