The Urban Institute released a brief entitled "Case Management Strategies for Successful Jail Reentry." In 2007, the National Institute of Corrections partnered with the Urban Institute to develop and test a comprehensive Transition from Jail to Community (TJC) model for effective jail-to-community transition. The TJC model and initiative advanced systems-level change and local reentry through collaborative, coordinated jail-community partnerships. This brief presents the TJC Initiative's approach to case planning and draws upon the implementation experiences of six TJC learning sites, all of which implemented elements of the TJC case management process.

The U.S. Social Security Administration, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, released an article presenting an overview of two projects in the Social Security Administration's Youth Transition Demonstrations: California's Bridges to Youth Self-Sufficiency and Mississippi's Model Youth Transition Innovation. These programs provided transitional assistance for youth with disabilities who are entitled to Social Security benefits. Key outcomes are reported in the article, along with highlights from two youth who successfully completed the programs.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a quick guide to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility and benefits. This guide can be used to assist individuals in determining eligibility and calculating benefit amounts. Common questions are answered and examples are given for clarity. In addition to this, a resource that assists in locating local human service offices is available, along with a pre-screening eligibility tool that can determine if an individual may qualify for SNAP.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Competency Model Clearinghouse (CMC) is an online resource that provides validated industry competency models that can be used as the basis of educational programs and curricula for a variety of industry sectors. The CMC also offers two tools designed to help businesses, educators, and workforce professionals achieve their talent development goals: the Build a Competency Model Tool and the Build a Career Ladder/Lattice Tool.

The U.S. Census Bureau released a report summarizing poverty rates by race and Hispanic origin for the United States, each separate State, and the District of Columbia. Poverty rates are also presented for selected detailed race and origin groups in the cities and towns with the largest populations of these groups. The American Community Survey's five-year data collection allowed for this analysis of poverty rates, an important indicator of community well-being.

The Institute of Research on Poverty (IRP) hosted Mr. Damon Jones, an economist at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, to talk about how the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and other refundable tax credits can combine to create a large once-a-year payment for low-income tax filers, and how that payment structure affects the ways that those funds are used.

The Employment & Training Administration (ETA) have now made several of their most popular online tools available as mobile-optimized websites. These mobile tools will assist smartphone or tablet users locate American Job Centers, conduct online job searches, search for jobs for veterans, compare salaries for various occupations, and search for nearby job training providers. These changes are part of an ongoing effort to make workforce resources more accessible to a wider audience.

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) released a report titled "Job Search Assistance Programs: A Review of the Literature." The report reviews research related to the relative effectiveness of various job search methods and the components of job search assistance (JSA) programs. The report provides an overview of current Federal JSA programs and the existing literature related to JSA with a focus on low-income and disadvantaged workers and heads of households.

Promising occupations for at-risk youth provide sufficient compensation and could put them on a path to becoming independent adults. To identify promising occupations, this brief examined four key features: 1) median earnings level, 2) education and training pre-requisites, 3) projected growth in labor-market demand, and 4) potential for individual advancement. Based on these criteria, opportunities in two fields are highlighted – health care and construction.  A number of work-based learning and career pathway programs are also discussed, including ACF’s Health Profession Opportunity Grants program. This brief was written as part of ACF’s Youth Demonstration Development project being conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and the Chapin Hall Center for Children. (author abstract)

The Administration for Children and Families Family Violence Prevention and Services Program is pleased to announce the launch of Domestic Violence: Understanding the Basics, an online learning tool. This one-hour interactive eLearning module describes the dynamics and common tactics that characterize domestic violence, provides an overview of the scope and impact on individuals and society, explores the underlying factors that allow domestic violence to exist, offers insight into the various risks and choices that survivors face, and shares how to be part of the solution.