The ACF Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) hosted a symposium on the application of behavioral research to programs that serve low-income children and families in July 2010. OPRE released a summary of the event, which included behavioral researchers, social welfare researchers, foundation staff, federal staff, and social service program operators. Stakeholders discussed ways to improve social service delivery and program effectiveness for programs that serve low-income children and families.

The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) released a report examining the municipal governments’ new role of helping families reach economic security through wealth and asset building. The report describes five main strategies: (1) improve access to financial information, education and counseling; (2) increase access to income-boosting supports and tax credits; (3) improve the affordability, accessibility and quality of financial products and services; (4) help families build range of liquid savings and tangible assets; (4) protect consumers against the loss of income or assets in the financial marketplace. In order to implement these strategies, CFED recommends four different approaches: (1) integrate financial empowerment and asset building into city services; (2) align local, state and federal policies; (3) invest in evaluation; (4) plan for political transition. Through implementing these strategies and approaches, the municipal government aims to guide residents toward financial empowerment.

The Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings recently released a report that compared the change in geographic distribution of the low-income population to trends of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) recipients’ location. The data used to evaluate the change in geographic distribution was measured between 1999 and 2007 in the nation’s 10 largest metropolitan areas. The researchers uncovered that the distribution of low-income populations mirrored the distribution of EITC recipients. This similarity in distribution shows that EITC has operated as an effective tool to evade poverty. EITC has effectively adapted to the conditions of recession, and is an important resource for low-income populations regardless of their location.

Congress recently passed legislation mandating that food prescribed in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA’s) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) be provided using electronic benefit transfer (EBT), which operates like a debit card. Ten State agencies currently provide WIC benefits using EBT, and many other States are in the process of implementing EBT technology in the WIC program. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, reauthorizing USDA’s child nutrition and WIC programs, requires that all States use EBT technology by 2020. Utilizing EBT technology will enable WIC moms to purchase WIC foods without the visibility of paper vouchers. The EBT system will also provide data to WIC State agencies on each food item purchased so they can better manage food costs through informed food package decisions and rebates on infant formula. EBT will also assist retailers in efficiently completing WIC transactions.

As part of the Employment Retention and Advancement project, this issue brief is from MDRC and offers data from the study three years after its start. The Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) project evaluated strategies to promote employment stability among low-income workers. After three years, one in four single parents had advanced. Single parents who advanced worked more consistently over the study period than other parents and, if unemployed, returned to work more quickly.

From Public/Private Ventures, this white paper provides an overview of how nonprofits are evaluated. Authors propose an approach to engage nonprofit practitioners as partners in evaluation efforts in order to provide a tailored approach to each evaluation, which supports program development and capacity building. P/PV will utilize this approach to improve on-the ground quality and effectiveness of social programs in the areas of workforce development, youth development and criminal justice.

This report details the Family Violence Option and some of the current issues that exist in implementing the policy for violence victims. Case studies are given based on the policies and practices in New York City, Washington D.C., and San Francisco. Each city’s data was examined to determine how many TANF applicants identified themselves as victims of domestic violence and how many were granted waivers and given services as mandated by the Family Violence Option. Recommendations are provided for Federal, State, and local TANF agencies as well as domestic violence advocates.

In State College, Pennsylvania, home to Penn State University, there were over 500 cases of domestic violence from 2001 to 2003. In the same two-year period, the only homicides reported were domestic violence related. One of the victims of these cases was Amy Homan McGee. In order to raise awareness of domestic violence, Penn State Public Broadcasting has recently released "Telling Amy’s Story: the Story of Amy Homan McGee." The story is told by Detective Deirdri Fishel, the primary investigator and Case Manager of the State College Police Department’s Victim Center Intensive Care Management (VCICM) Unit. The film serves to educate its viewers and raise awareness of the gravity of domestic violence. The film’s Web site functions as a forum for discussion of the film and domestic violence, offers resources for domestic violence awareness, especially in relation to the prevention of domestic violence, and focuses on methods to protect domestic violence victims based on the lives of previous victims. "Telling Amy’s Story" is a powerful resource for those interested in learning more about how to prevent domestic violence on both an individual and systematic level.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act) requires agencies to take proactive steps to provide equal opportunity to qualified individuals with disabilities, but their rate of employment with the Federal government remains low. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) convened a forum to identify promising practices for Federal agencies to implement in helping better identify barriers to the employment of people with disabilities in the Federal workforce. Of the attendees, participants noted the most significant barrier keeping people with disabilities from the workplace is based on people’s attitudes and bias toward people with disabilities.

This Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) webinar discussed postsecondary education and credentials for low income populations to help increase economic mobility for this group. Speakers from the Ford Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation provided information on best serving low-income adults and disadvantaged youth through education.