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.

Assistance Secretary Sheldon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) co-announced a new public-private partnership, Partnership for Freedom, with Humanity United, Department of Justice, DHHS, and Housing and Urban Development. Partnership for Freedom aims to spur innovative solutions to human trafficking challenges and launched the first of three competitions - Reimagine: Opportunity – dedicated to improving the infrastructure of support for survivors of modern day slavery. The goal is to inspire experts in the anti-trafficking field to connect with new partners and generate new ideas for sustainable housing, economic empowerment and stronger social services for survivors.

This brief, using qualitative data collected during the Hispanic Healthy Marriage Initiative Grantee Implementation Evaluation, describes the adaptations and refinements undertaken by study sites to make their services more culturally responsive to address the backgrounds and life circumstances of people of different cultural, racial, ethnic, or socio-economic backgrounds. The adaptations included addressing issues of language, diversity, racism, and immigration, and incorporating cultural constructs like familismo, confianza, personalismo, and respeto. These adaptations were made to improve the recruitment, retention, overall participation, and effectiveness of the programs. The study was not designed to examine the overall efficacy of these adaptations, but rather to document them. More research is needed to examine whether these adaptations contribute to program outcomes.(author abstract)

The Economic Mobility Corporation released a new report titled, "Stimulating Opportunity: An Evaluation of ARRA-Funded Subsidized Employment Programs." Major findings from this report include: subsidized employment programs can have a significant impact on low-income job seekers' employment and earnings, employers created jobs that would not have existed otherwise, the long-term unemployed experienced large employment and earnings gained, and the subsidized programs also benefited participants with significant barriers to employment. The report continues to demonstrate the value-add and need for solutions such as subsidized employment and transitional jobs in communities.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics released an economic news release on the summer youth labor force for the summer of 2013. From April to July 2013, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old increased by 2.1 million to 19.7 million. This year, the share of young people employed in July was 50.7 percent. Unemployment among youth rose by 692,000 from April to July 2013, compared with an increase of 836,000 for the same period in 2012.