Adults (age 25+)

Earnings

Earnings

Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) Demonstration had the largest effects on long-term annual earnings (an average of $6,415 per year). The WASC Demonstration delivered integrated, intensive retention and advancement services and financial work supports to workers with low wages and reemployed dislocated workers to fill gaps in services available to them and help them advance and increase their incomes.

Employment

Employment

Jobs-First Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program had the largest effects on long-term employment (an average of 6 percentage points). Jobs-First GAIN emphasized a rapid employment strategy to help recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) improve their earnings and employment outcomes. 

Public benefit receipt

Public benefit receipt

Parent Success Initiative (PSI) had the largest effects on long-term benefit receipt (decreasing the amount of public benefits received by $629 per year). PSI provided noncustodial parents with low incomes support in finding work with the goal of improving participants’ employment skills and ability to pay child support.

Effects on long-term benefit receipt

$629

Decrease long-term benefit receipt

Education and training

Education and training

Good Transitions had the largest effects on education and training (increasing the attainment of a degree or credential by an average of 15 percentage points). Good Transitions served noncustodial parents with low income by providing subsidized employment combined with case management and training to help them connect to stable employment.

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Justice-Involved Individuals Seeking Employment (CBI-Emp)

CBI-Emp offers 31 group sessions developed by the University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute, including skill- and application-based sessions. The intervention primarily supported soft skills development. Skill-based sessions taught participants positive social skills to manage employment challenges, and application sessions provided participants with support for building individual plans for success in the workplace.

Re-Integration of Ex-Offenders (RExO) Program

Intervention (standard name)

Twenty-four grantees offered the RExO program, including national nonprofits, faith-based community organizations, community health organizations, and local or regional nonprofits. The exact bundle of services each grantee provided varied significantly. In all programs, case managers coordinated service delivery and supported participants. Most grantees offered group mentoring for participants, and a smaller subset offered individual mentoring.

English for Advancement (EfA)

Intervention (standard name)

EfA provided vocational English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), including lessons focused on answering job interview questions, communicating in the workplace, and finding a job. EfA participants attended classes for 2 to 12 months, depending on their skill and education level. About 24 months after the program’s start, evaluators followed up with participants to assess participants’ employment and earnings.

Riverside Human Capital Development [HCD] Program (as compared with Riverside Labor Force Attachment [LFA] Program)

The HCD program implemented in Riverside, CA, emphasized that participants should spend time receiving education or training to prepare for good jobs. If participants did not have a high school diploma or general education diploma, the program provided basic education classes in the public school system to help participants make progress toward their goals (such as increasing their literacy level). Case managers were accountable for the employment and education outcomes of their clients and therefore encouraged success and emphasized and enforced program participation.

Breaking Barriers

Intervention (standard name)

Breaking Barriers followed the IPS model by assigning employment specialists to help participants set career goals and search for a job. Employment specialists maintained relationships with local employers, which they used to connect participants to potential job opportunities. After participants found employment, specialists provided as-needed, customized support (such as counseling or transportation assistance). This follow-along support did not have a time limit. Participants were involved in the program for an average of 10 months.

Atlanta Human Capital Development [HCD] Program (as compared with Atlanta Labor Force Attachment [LFA] Program)

Atlanta’s HCD program stressed that participants should spend time receiving education or training to prepare for good jobs. At the start of the program, case managers assigned participants to adult basic education courses or vocational training programs. Participants were assigned to adult basic education courses more often than training programs because many vocational programs required GEDs or certificates that the participants did not have when starting the HCD program.