Millions of Americans cannot afford internet access that would enable them to interview for employment, work remotely, fill out online-only benefits applications, or do telehealth appointments. Equitable broadband adoption depends on people having the financial means to get and maintain internet service, which the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) facilitates. This blogpost by New America focuses on the City of Detroit’s success in implementing the ACP, demonstrating how effective the program can be in helping to bridge the digital divide and providing some lessons for how other cities can increase adoption.

In 2020, the National Community Action Partnership (NCAP) became a sub-grantee for a multi-year national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment & Training (E&T) research cohort project. MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership is a critical service provider for people who earn low incomes, working to build community and eradicate poverty in Mahnomen, Hubbard, Becker, Otter Tail and Wadena (MAHUBE-OTWA) counties. Through NCAP’s webinars, one-on-one meetings, and intensive coaching sessions, the MAHUBE-OTWA team learned how a SNAP E&T Partnership could align with organizational goals and position an agency with workforce development tools to better facilitate economic mobility for clients. MAHUBE-OTWA then worked closely with the Minnesota state SNAP E&T office and officially became a new SNAP E&T third-party provider in October 2022. NCAP’s Q&A with the MAHUBE-OTWA team captures their E&T partnership journey.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that more than 47 million workers voluntarily quit their jobs in 2021. This phenomenon, referred to as the Great Resignation, is the subject of a new study from the Shift Project. Prior research had relied on labor mar­ket data and lim­it­ed anec­do­tal evidence until Why Are Young Workers Leaving Their Jobs? took a dif­fer­ent approach. This new research engaged nearly 3,000 young work­ers and tracked sev­er­al telling fac­tors, includ­ing their rea­sons for quit­ting and their sat­is­fac­tion at each job. This blogpost by the Annie E. Casey Foundation discusses the results of the study, including the motivations for quitting and employment within the service sector.

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) will convene the 2024 Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS) in person in Washington, DC on May 29–31, 2024. RECS 2024 will focus on programs, policies, and services that support families on the path to economic self-sufficiency. Presentations will feature research findings and their policy and practice implications for an audience that includes researchers, practitioners, state and local administrators, federal officials, and policymakers. Join OPRE for a virtual information session on Thursday, June 22, 2023 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET to hear more about the conference, conference tracks, proposal types, tips for preparing a successful proposal, and how to submit a proposal through the website.

The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program was established in the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 and is one the largest efforts by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to improve self-sufficiency among those receiving federal rental assistance. In 2012, HUD commissioned a national random assignment evaluation of the FSS program’s impacts on labor market and other quality-of-life outcomes for households receiving Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs). The FSS program has two key components: case managers who work with participant households to develop individualized self-sufficiency plans and to access other community services, and asset development via interest-bearing escrow accounts. This report by MDRC examines FSS program implementation, participants’ engagement in the program, and program impacts on labor force participation and government benefits receipt five years following random assignment.

The Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot is testing how direct cash might help individuals and families with low incomes weather their unstable housing circumstances in some of the highest-poverty and most rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods in Austin, Texas. In September 2022, UpTogether and 10 community-based partners enrolled 135 households to receive $1,000 per month for one year. This fact sheet focuses on participants’ goals and uses for the cash disbursements they have received so far in the pilot. The factsheet uses data from baseline and six-month surveys, as well as information from participant interviews.

Between 1998 and 2003, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development administered the Jobs Plus demonstration in six cities with areas of concentrated poverty and unemployment. The demonstration aimed to increase employment and earnings among public housing residents through a combination of on-site employment-related services and rent incentives. The original demonstration had strong, positive results. In 2014, a new and expanded Jobs Plus pilot program was launched. MDRC developed this report which examines the impact of the 2014 replication program, assessing participation and labor market outcomes in the first 24 public housing agencies that received funding for the program.

The ways poverty is measured can influence how we understand what it means to live in poverty. These measures inform the work of policymakers, practitioners, and advocates to address poverty and prevent the associated adverse consequences. This brief by Child Trends summarizes the basic attributes of the range of poverty measures, as well as their strengths and limitations. The objective is to give policy analysts and researchers the tools to interpret poverty statistics appropriately and decide when to use which measure.