A study released by the RAND Corporation addresses challenges that reserve component service members and their families face after deployment, and the factors that contribute to successful reintegration, a process that is critical to the well-being of the individual and their family. The report provides a series of recommendations for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Brookings released a paper touching upon the opportunity gap faced by Americans, and the difficulty for those individuals in the bottom ranks to move up. Children born into the top fifth of the income distribution have twice as much of a chance of becoming middle class or better in their adult years as those born into the bottom fifth. Suggestions are given on how to beat those odds, including the importance of a college degree and its implications on future career choices, mobility, and economic self-sufficiency.

This report summarizes the short term effects of four current demonstration projects from the Social Security Administration (SSA) on the self-sufficiency of recipients of SSI and SSDI. The random assignment evaluations of these projects will measure long term effects of the demonstration projects when completed. The short term impacts show a slight increase in employment for this population and highlight some of the common challenges these individuals face.

Workforce One developed the Workforce System Strategies' Community Colleges and Workforce Partnership resource page. This page provides research sources related to education and training for unemployed and underemployed adults, with topics and target populations ranging from Community Colleges, Career Pathways, Limited Skills, and Online Trainings.

This recently released research study from the Urban Institute identifies promising approaches that could be implemented within the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Center for Economic Opportunity program to assist the most vulnerable families, of which families escaping domestic violence are included. The research indicates that programs can improve a vulnerable family's employability and savings; however, the most successful interventions are "high touch," longer in length than standard programs, and therefore, more expensive. Also highlighted is the importance of creating partnerships with healthcare providers, as this is often a significant barrier to stability for these families that remains unaddressed.

The Federal government has recently placed a greater emphasis on connecting survivors with asset building programs as a way to build financial independence for the population. With this goal in mind, this toolkit was designed as a step by step guide for both AFI programs and domestic violence service providers interested in creating partnerships. It provides information targeted specifically at each partners, as well as additional resources such as draft MOUs and letters of commitments.

This study examined the outcomes of an IDA program for survivors of domestic violence based in St. Louis, Missouri. The majority of the women involved in the program were able to save money and made matched withdrawals from their account. This demonstrated that IDA programs can be used successfully with survivors of domestic violence.

This discussion paper from the University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research provides analysis of state statutes related to employment protection for survivors of domestic violence. Domestic violence is often not viewed as a workplace concern, but as this report highlights, it can be a huge barrier to employment, safety, and ultimately, self-sufficiency. Example policies are provided, as well as implications for employers, human service professionals, and policy makers.

This research brief from the Center for Financial Security at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides a thorough overview of the impact of domestic violence on the economic well-being of women. Domestic violence negatively impacts women in a variety of ways, many of which have financial and employment-related implications. For TANF stakeholders wishing to understand how domestic violence directly impacts the employment and financial security of a victim, this brief provides a condensed review of published research on the topic.

This article provides a thorough overview of the existing research related to how poor economic situations contribute to intimate partner violence. The authors explain how low socio-economic status, unemployment, career stress, and poverty are associated with rates and severity of violence. Research is also provided that shows what mitigates these factors. This document would be helpful to TANF stakeholders interested in learning how participation in TANF can help survivors of violence and why poverty can exacerbate violence.