This research brief, drawn from the Homeless Families Research Briefs project out of the Office of Policy, Planning research & Evaluation, explores issues of family homelessness that are especially relevant to HHS, to state and local decision makers, and for programs. The Employment of Families Experiencing Homelessness brief explores parents’ earnings at the time the family was in emergency shelter, prior to becoming homeless and at 20 and 37 months after experiencing homelessness. This new brief examines employment rates, compares the employment rates of families experiencing homelessness to the employment rate of parents in deeply poor families in the same communities, discusses barriers parents identified for not working, and explores the relationship between employment, income, and continued housing instability.

This blog post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is part of the "Self-Sufficiency Series: Solutions from the Field" and highlights the $150 million initiative by the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Family Assistance to conduct Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) promotion activities; of this $150 million, $75 million each year is designated for healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE). OFA funds 46 HMRE programs in 27 states and the territory of Guam. One of these programs is University Behavioral Associates/Montefiore’s Supporting Healthy Relationships program, which delivers services on building healthy relationships and marriages to 300 married and unmarried couples each year. This blog post describes the services that two UBA/Montefiore program participants received and their appreciation for the services.

On September 18, 2018, the Urban Institute will host a discussion at their D.C. headquarters led by a Washington Post columnist to address misconceptions about credit, specifically credit for low-income families. Having poor or no credit is a serious barrier to overcoming poverty because it creates high transaction costs and limits opportunities to invest in homes or cover emergencies. Thus, policymakers and researchers will discuss the facts on credit and why credit-building should be expanded for low-income Americans.

New Census data comes out in mid-September, and this webinar hosted by the Coalition on Human Needs aims to forecast trends that may emerge and help stakeholders understand what to look for when the data is released. Specifically, the speakers and moderators will focus on how the data can answer questions about the best ways to raise incomes, reduce poverty, and evaluate the effectiveness of new work requirement policies for social support programs. They will also discuss which relevant data to watch for and how to find specific information of interest. Visit their website to register for the event on September 6, 2018.

This brief uses National Health Interview Survey data to identify key employment characteristics of SNAP participants with the goal of informing policymakers and stakeholders to create the best possible programs. Broad trends include lack of higher education, low incomes, and presence of a child in the household. Although most participants work, with employment being more likely for non-citizens, married, and healthy, only 50% report being food secure. Implications of these findings suggest that SNAP does not discourage work, but other barriers may prevent employment or job retention in vulnerable subgroups.

The Ticket to Work program provides individuals with disabilities receiving disability benefits opportunities to return to work, stay employed, and increase earnings. As a result, beneficiaries with disabilities may reduce their dependency on public benefits and become more economically self-sufficient. This webinar (on September 12) focuses on how Ticket to Work operates and the different partnership models now available consistent with the goals of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness provides updated statistics and trend analysis in this briefing, while also using the data to discuss implications for efforts to eliminate homelessness. In 2017, homelessness rose slightly for the first time since 2016, which was driven entirely by more unsheltered homeless individuals without families. The Council links to further resources that detail trends for youth, families, worst case housing needs, and affordable housing throughout the country. Considering all of this data, the Council stresses the need for affordable housing, unsheltered support services, and attention to racial disparities through combined federal and local efforts across agencies, sectors, and lawmakers.

Stable and affordable housing continues to be an issue for low-income families as rental and home prices increase and wages may not rise in accordance. This webinar on September 25 is geared toward SNAP Employment and Training stakeholders to demonstrate ways in which SNAP programs can implement approaches to job training that facilitate housing stability for benefit recipients. Drawing on examples from Massachusetts and Arkansas State SNAP agencies, links between housing and workforce initiatives will be highlighted and their importance emphasized to overcome rent burden and homelessness for vulnerable populations.

In an ongoing project that seeks to improve a home-visiting programs for teenage mothers, preliminary results suggest some improvements in uptake of long-acting reversible contraceptives and lower rates of unprotected sex. Repeated, close-together births have been shown to have negative effects on the health and well-being of mothers and children, but research has begun to show that contraception and support services can decrease these numbers. The two-year Steps to Success program provided more resources around healthy birth spacing, father involvement, and educational and career aspirations than did traditional programs, but has not seen robust improvements above the control in these areas thus far.

An evaluation of a randomized control trial in Boston found significant decreases in criminal charges and arraignments for youth who participate in Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEPs), particularly for African American and Latino males. These declines may be the result of improved social and emotional skills that the employment programs foster by giving participants a chance to learn healthy conflict and stress management. Youth also reported higher academic and career aspirations, better job skills, and more cognizance of future plans and goals, an effect which was pronounced for younger members and members of color.