Study Details | Pathways to Work

3135-Study of Reach for S

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: Reach for Success

Population and employment barriers:

Employment status (Employed), Parenting (Parents, Single parents), Public Benefits Recipients (Cash assistance recipients, Public benefits recipients)

Services provided:

Case management, Childcare and/or early education, Employment coaching, Job development, Job placement, Job search assistance, Post-employment participant follow-up, Transportation assistance, Work supports

Setting: Urban only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

Individuals were eligible for the study if they were single-parent Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients, resided in specific parts of Los Angeles County (including areas in the western part of Los Angeles County, south-central Los Angeles, east Los Angeles, and the neighborhoods surrounding Los Angeles International Airport), and were working 32 or more hours per week. From the end of July 2002 to June 2004, evaluators identified and randomly assigned 5,412 individuals, half to the Reach For Success group and half to the post-employment services (PES) group. The evaluation included surveys 12 and 42 months after random assignment. Evaluators used a two-stage process to identify individuals to survey. First, they restricted the group to sample members who were randomly assigned from July to December 2003 (12-month survey only), spoke English or Spanish, and were age 18 or older at the time of random assignment. Then, evaluators randomly selected a subset of the survey-eligible group and contacted these people.

Time period of study:

Random assignment was conducted from the end of July 2002 through June 2004. Evaluators followed people in the study for 42 months after random assignment.

Primary outcome domains examined:

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

Other outcome domains examined:

Mental health, Substance abuse

Study funded by:

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in ACF at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded the study, with support from the U.S. Department of Labor.

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	Annual earnings	Year 1	High	9,037.00	9,139.00	102.00	2003 dollars	5,700
Increase short-term earnings	Weekly earnings	12 months	High	180.00	200.00	20.00	2004 dollars	848
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 3	High	10,677.00	10,762.00	85.00	2005 dollars	5,700
Increase short-term employment	Currently employed	Month 12	High	53.10	58.60	5.50	percentage points	848
Increase short-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Year 1	High	47.80	50.20	2.40	percentage points	5,412
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, annual	Year 1	High	84.30	84.70	0.40	percentage points	5,700
Increase long-term employment	Currently employed	Month 42	High	59.20	60.00	0.80	percentage points	982
Increase long-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Year 3	High	47.10	46.60	-0.50	percentage points	5,700
Increase long-term employment	Ever employed, annual	Year 3	High	75.40	74.20	-1.20	percentage points	5,700
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 1	High	93.00	93.90	0.90	percentage points	5,700
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 1	High	90.80	91.30	0.50	percentage points	5,700
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Average annual AFDC/TANF benefits, follow-up period	Years 1–3	High	3,216.00	3,313.00	97.00	2004 dollars	5,700
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Average annual Food Stamp/SNAP benefits, follow-up period	Years 1–3	High	2,012.00	2,055.00	43.00	2004 dollars	5,700
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 3	High	53.80	55.90	2.10	percentage points	5,700
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 3	High	54.70	57.10	2.40	percentage points	5,700

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

All participants were employed, single-parent TANF recipients. About half of the participants were Black, 40 percent were Hispanic, and 94 percent were female. The average age was 31, and the average number of children was two. About one-third of the sample had received Aid to Families with Dependent Children or TANF for three or more years as of study entry, and half of the sample did not have a high school diploma or equivalent certificate. Most spoke English, although 13 percent spoke Spanish as their primary language.

Age

Mean age

31 years

Sex

Female	94%
Male	5%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	51%
White, not Hispanic	5%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	40%
Unknown, not reported, or other	4%

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

Parents	100%
Single parents	97%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were employed	98%
Were unemployed	2%
Public benefits recipients	91%
Cash assistance recipients	91%

Participant education

Had some postsecondary education	4%
Had a high school diploma or GED	50%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	50%
English learners	11%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Los Angeles County TANF offices

Program history:

The program was a pilot that operated from March 2002 to June 2005.

Intervention services:

The Reach for Success program sought to help participants retain employment and secure better jobs through customized services, flexibility, and individualized attention. Specifically, retention services focused on helping clients access work supports (for example, child care and transportation) and more effectively negotiate work-related issues through the development of soft skills (that is, interpersonal and communication skills). Career advancement services were more tailored to clients' needs and their levels of motivation. In addition, case managers worked with smaller caseloads and provided coaching and assistance to individuals to advance in their careers through education, training, and work-based approaches.

Mandatory services:

None.

Comparison services:

The comparison group received the existing PES program. Individuals received less individualized and more rule-bound PES. Clients received very few job retention services other than standard work supports. Career advancement services consisted primarily of support for education and training and were available only upon clients' requests.

Service receipt duration:

Participants could receive services for up to one year if they remained on TANF.

Intervention funding:

Los Angeles County; California TANF

Study publications

Anderson, Jacquelyn, Stephen Freedman, and Gayle Hamilton (2009). The Employment Retention and Advancement project: Results from the Los Angeles Reach For Success program, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/full_552.pdf.

Hendra, Richard, Keri-Nicole Dillman, Gayle Hamilton, Erika Lundquist, Karin Martinson, Melissa Wavelet, Aaron Hill, and Sonya Williams (2010). The Employment Retention and Advancement project: How effective are different approaches aiming to increase employment retention and advancement? Final impacts for twelve models, New York: MDRC. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/resource/the-employment-retention-and-advancement-project-how-effective-are.

View the glossary for more information about these and other terms used on this page.

The Pathways Clearinghouse refers to interventions by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some intervention names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.

Study of Reach for Success