Program Implementation

Tips to Implementation: A program such as this needs coordination among the Texas Workforce Commission, the Health and Human Services Commission, and community-based organizations to succeed. Face-to-face meetings between contractors and the two State agencies have helped resolve coordination issues in an effective and timely manner. Curriculum design that allows immediate client service and location of the program within the One-Stop system also have increased the program's ability to serve the TANF populations facing sanctions.

Keys to Success:

• Coordination and communication among the Texas Workforce Commission, the Health and Human Services Commission, and community contractors.
• Co-location of REAP within the One-Stop Center; some locations also have TANF eligibility offices located on the same campus.
• Open entry and exit curriculum design of REAP allows the program to serve clients immediately, before they risk losing TANF benefits.

Challenges: The Texas Workforce Commission electronic case management system, The Workforce Information System of Texas (TWIST), was not accessible to all community-based organizations. A new data entry and reporting system had to be developed for community-based organizations. Also, developing paths for people who may appear in REAP more than once was a challenge. REAP now provides those individuals with intensive case management and often offers them mentoring roles for new applicants. Serving as mentors generates a high level of commitment in the original participant.