Although much is known about how to help welfare recipients find jobs, little is known about how to help them and other low-wage workers keep jobs or advance in the labor market. This report presents information on the effectiveness of a program in South Carolina that aimed to help former welfare recipients obtain jobs, work more steadily, and…

Achieving Change for Texans (ACT) was a demonstration program designed to help participants achieve independence from welfare through employment, training, temporary assistance, and support services. The ACT included the following four primary components: Time-Limited and Transitional Benefits (TL); Responsibilities, Employment, and Resources…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed the effectiveness of the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program by examining the characteristics of the clients served in 1988, the services they received, and their employment outcomes. The study report was slated to be completed in early 1992. In testimony before Congress, a GAO representative…

This paper poses a question of direct relevance for welfare administrators, program operators, and policy makers: What management practices, program strategies, and local conditions are key to running effective welfare-to-work programs? To address this question, the present analysis links detailed measures of program characteristics to valid and…

A study gathered information on the estimated population eligible to be served by the federal-state vocational rehabilitation (VR) program. It contrasted those accepted and those not, described services clients received, and evaluated the program's outcomes. The study found that, in national surveys in the 1980s, 14-18 million people reported work…

Connecticut's Jobs First program, which began operating in January 1996, combines a time limit on welfare receipt with generous financial work incentives and requires recipients to participate in employment-related services targeted toward rapid job placement. The impacts of the Jobs First program were examined by following several thousand…

This report examines implementation and impacts of Ramsey County's Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), a "work first" program. Chapter 1 lists key findings, provides an overview of the Ramsey County variant (MFIP-R) evaluation, and policy relevance of MFIP-R. Chapter 2 describes key features of MFIP-R and compares them with…

The impact of California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKS), which was passed to increase California welfare recipients' participation in welfare-to-work (WTW) activities, was examined. The impact study consisted of a nonexperimental program evaluation that used statistical models to estimate causal effects and a simulation…

This report examines the operation and outcomes of Illinois' welfare programs in fiscal year 1995. The Illinois Department of Public Aid's new emphasis on providing incentives/assistance to move welfare recipients from welfare to work is explained. Next, the following programs are discussed: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Job…

The Minnesota Family Investment Program, the Canadian Self-Sufficiency Project, and Milwaukee's New Hope Project are three antipoverty programs that were undertaken in the 1990s to end dependency on welfare by "making work pay." The impacts of all three programs were reviewed and compared to those of the Seattle/Denver Income Maintenance…

Idaho's displaced homemaker program exists to reduce the incidence of poverty among the 59,498 displaced homemakers (according to the 1990 census) and 22,147 single mothers in the state. Of those who participated in Idaho's displaced homemaker programs in fiscal year 1998 (FY1998), 924 (33%) earned less than $5,000 annually, and two-thirds had…

The Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) began in 1994 as a major welfare initiative that differed from the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) by featuring the following elements: financial incentives to work; participation requirements for long-term welfare recipients; and simplification of welfare rules and procedures. In…

As part of the National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies (NEWWS), the experiences of welfare recipients who find jobs were studied. The study focused on the employment outcomes of 17,055 program group members from 6 of the 10 NEWWS evaluation sites. Data were obtained from unemployment insurance records and the findings of a survey…

The impacts of 20 welfare-to-work programs across the United States were evaluated to determine which clients derive the greatest benefits from different approaches to moving individuals from welfare to work. Of the 20 programs examined, 7 were characterized as employment focused, 5 provided a mix of first activities without an employment focus, 4…

Idaho's displaced homemaker program exists to reduce the incidence of poverty among the 59,498 displaced homemakers (according to the 1990 census) and 22,147 single mothers in the state. Of those who participated in Idaho's displaced homemaker programs in fiscal year 1999 (FY1999), 852 (33%) earned less than $5,000 annually. Yet, only 95 received…