Study Details | Pathways to Work

101022-Study of Padua Pilot

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a low-attrition randomized controlled trial with no known issues that suggest the findings cannot be attributed to the intervention.

Intervention: Padua Pilot

Services provided:

Case management, Childcare and/or early education, Employment coaching, Financial education, Housing supports and subsidies, Job placement, Job search assistance, Legal assistance, Transportation assistance, Tuition assistance/financial aid, Unconditional cash transfers

Setting: Urban only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

Study participants were recruited from the pool of clients seeking emergency financial assistance from Catholic Charities Fort Worth. To qualify for the study, clients had to be adults between 18 and 55 years old who were willing and able to work and resided in Tarrant County, Texas and had low family incomes (below 185 percent of the federal poverty line). Eligible candidates interested in the study provided informed consent and completed a baseline survey. They were then randomly assigned to either the intervention or comparison group. A total of 427 participants were recruited and randomized across two cohorts, with 193 assigned to the intervention group and 234 to the comparison group.

Time period of study:

The study collected follow-up data for at least 24 months after random assignment.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase long-term employment, Increase long-term earnings, Decrease long-term benefit receipt, Increase short-term employment, Increase short-term earnings, Decrease short-term benefit receipt

Other outcome domains examined:

The study examined outcomes related to housing, spending, debt and savings, and health.

Study funded by:

Not described

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Intervention group mean	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Monthly earnings	12 months	High	1,009.00	1,076.00	67.00	2017 Dollars	351
Increase short-term earnings	Quarterly earnings	Quarter 6	High	3,367.00	3,275.00	-92.00	2017 Dollars	346
Increase long-term earnings	Monthly earnings	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	1,149.00	1,357.00	208.00	2018 Dollars	346
Increase long-term earnings	Total earnings over follow-up period	Quarter 18	High	3,408.00	3,458.00	50.00	2020 Dollars	346
Increase short-term employment	Currently employed	12 months	High	59.30	66.00	6.70	percentage points	351
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Quarter 6	High	61.00	66.20	5.20	percentage points	346
Increase long-term employment	Currently employed	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	62.60	68.70	6.10	percentage points	346
Increase long-term employment	Employment rate through Quarter 18	Quarter 18	High	62.20	67.10	4.90	percentage points	346
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receives any government benefits	12 months	High	68.30	64.20	-4.10	percentage points	351
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receives SDA benefits	12 months	High	14.90	15.10	0.20	percentage points	351
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receives SNAP benefits	12 months	High	62.40	56.10	-6.30	percentage points	351
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receives SSI benefits	12 months	High	1.60	2.60	1.00	percentage points	351
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receives TANF benefits	12 months	High	3.70	1.30	-2.40	percentage points	351
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receives unemployment benefits	12 months	High	1.60	0.90	-0.70	percentage points	351
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receives WIC benefits	12 months	High	19.60	17.40	-2.20	percentage points	351
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Average SNAP receipt through month 60	60 months	High	152.00	157.00	5.00	2020 Dollars	427
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Monthly amount received from unemployment or worker's compensation	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	14.19	8.25	-5.94	2020 Dollars	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Monthly SNAP benefit amount	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	197.00	191.00	-6.00	2020 Dollars	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Monthly SSI benefit amount	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	33.33	16.88	-16.45	2020 Dollars	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Monthly TANF benefit amount	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	2.11	14.75	12.64	2020 Dollars	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Monthy SDA benefit amount	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	138.00	130.00	-8.00	2020 Dollars	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Receives any government benefits	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	62.10	56.20	-5.90	percentage points	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Receives SDA benefits	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	16.60	14.00	-2.60	percentage points	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Receives SNAP benefits	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	50.50	53.20	2.70	percentage points	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Receives SSI benefits	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	2.70	1.00	-1.70	percentage points	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Receives TANF benefits	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	1.60	4.00	2.40	percentage points	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Receives unemployment benefits	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	1.60	1.30	-0.30	percentage points	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Receives WIC benefits	24-month followup survey, March 2015 - October 2018	High	14.70	8.20	-6.50	percentage points	346
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	SNAP participation rate through month 60	60 months	High	36.90	38.40	1.50	percentage points	427

Short-term outcomes are those measured 18 months or fewer after participants are first offered services. Long-term outcomes are those measured between 18 months and 5 years after participants are first offered services. Very long-term outcomes are those measured 5 years or more after participants are first offered services.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the intervention. We do not display findings that rate low.

Findings key:

A moderate-to-large favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large favorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that might be due to chance
A favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A favorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that might be due to chance
An unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
An unfavorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size or direction
A finding of no effect that might be due to chance

Favorable findings are impacts in a direction that is socially desirable. Statistical significance indicates the likelihood that a study finding is due to the intervention, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the intervention produced a sufficiently large change in the outcome. An impact receives this designation if the standardized effect size is equal to or greater than 0.25 or equal to or less than -0.25.

Sample characteristics

Participants include individuals resident in Tarrant County, TX. A majority of participants were female (85 percent)and had an average age of 37 years. Slightly more than a half of the participants were single mothers (56 percent) and were recipients of public assistance (65 percent). Twenty-five percent had a high school diploma or GED. Less than half (40 percent) were employed at baseline.

Age

Mean age

37 years

Sex

Female	85%
Male	15%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	48%
White, not Hispanic	15%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	30%
Unknown, not reported, or other	8%

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if the authors reported race and ethnicity separately; in these cases, we report the category White, rather than White, not Hispanic.

Family status

Single parents

56%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were employed	40%
Cash assistance recipients	65%

Participant education

Had a high school diploma or GED	25%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	30%
Postsecondary credential	20%

Specific employment barriers

Were experiencing homelessness

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Catholic Charities Fort Worth

Program history:

Catholic Charities Fort Worth had been providing emergency financial assistance to clients prior to the start of Padua Pilot study.

Intervention services:

The Padua Pilot offered individualized and holistic case management services, which included job training, housing assistance, immigration assistance, budgeting, financial literacy, and coaching for overall well-being. It also provided financial assistance to the intervention group.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

The comparison group received standard services, consisting of a short-term, modest amount of assistance.

Service receipt duration:

16 months

Intervention funding:

Not described

Study publications

Evans, William N., Shawna Kolka, James X. Sullivan, and Patrick S. Turner (2023). Fighting Poverty One Family at a Time: Experimental Evidence from an Intervention with Holistic, Individualized, Wrap-around Services. NBER Working Paper No. 30992. National Bureau of Economic Research. Available at: https://www.nber.org/papers/w30992

Evans, William N., Shawna Kolka, James X. Sullivan, and Patrick S. Turner (2025). Fighting Poverty One Family at a Time: Experimental Evidence from an Intervention with Holistic, Individualized, Wrap-around Services, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 17(1): 311-361. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.20200716

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