Earnings

Earnings

Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) had the largest effects on long-term annual earnings (an average of $1,673 per year). GAIN, a mandatory welfare-to-work program, provided a series of education, training, and job search activities to help recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) increase their employment and earnings. 

These are the five interventions with the largest effects. See Exhibit 1 for all interventions.
Employment

Employment

Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) (as compared with MFIP Incentives Only) had the largest effects on long-term employment (an average of 3 percentage points). MFIP used financial work incentives and mandatory employment and training activities to increase employment and reduce poverty among recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). This evaluation directly compared MFIP with a separate intervention, MFIP Incentives Only, to better understand which of the two interventions might be more effective; the distinctive feature of MFIP is mandatory employment and training activities.

These are the five interventions with the largest effects. See Exhibit 1 for all interventions.
Public benefit receipt

Public benefit receipt

Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) had the largest effects on long-term benefit receipt (decreasing the amount of public benefits received by $113 per year). GAIN, a mandatory welfare-to-work program, provided a series of education, training, and job search activities to help recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) increase their employment and earnings. 

Effects on long-term benefit receipt

Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN)
$113

Decrease long-term benefit receipt

Next Generation of Enhanced Employment Strategies Project

Submitted by swissel on

To further build the evidence around effective strategies for helping individuals with low incomes find and sustain employment, OPRE contracted with Mathematica to conduct the Next Generation of Enhanced Employment Strategies (NextGen) Project. This project will identify and test innovative, promising employment interventions designed to help individuals facing complex challenges secure a pathway toward economic independence. These challenges may be physical and mental health conditions, substance misuse, a criminal history, or limited work skills and experience.

Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) Incentives Only

Intervention (standard name)
Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) Incentives Only

MFIP Incentives Only was one of the demonstration projects made possible by Section 1115 waivers to the rules in effect at the time for the AFDC program. These Section 1115 waivers allowed states to test new approaches to advance the objectives of the AFDC program. MFIP Incentives Only used financial incentives to encourage AFDC recipients to work and reduce their dependence on public assistance.

Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) (as compared with MFIP Incentives Only)

Intervention (standard name)
Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) (as compared with MFIP Incentives Only)

MFIP was one of the demonstration projects made possible by Section 1115 waivers to the rules in effect at the time for the AFDC program. These Section 1115 waivers allowed states to test new approaches to advance the objectives of the AFDC program. MFIP used several strategies to encourage AFDC recipients to find employment and reduce their dependence on public assistance.

Minnesota Tier 2

Intervention (standard name)
Minnesota Tier 2

Participation in Tier 2 was mandatory and could be enforced by sanctioning TANF benefits. Participants worked with Tier 2 case managers from local service providers, who had caseloads of 25 to 30 cases rather than the 75 to 100 cases of a typical Tier 1 case manager. Case managers performed detailed assessments of clients to identify the underlying challenges affecting them and their families and then referred clients to services that addressed those challenges. They also monitored participation, including through home visits.

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