This brief from the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation’s Office of Human Services Policy overviews a project that developed a calculator to help people anticipate how a change in earnings from employment would affect their net income, which in turn provided public benefit recipients with their estimated effective marginal tax rate on new earnings. The calculator was designed to support program participants and caseworkers. Demo calculators were developed for New Hampshire, Maine, Allegheny County in Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., and were completely customized under their local programs and rules. Local governments and local organizations can download the open-source code to start creating a customized calculator for their families.

The social safety net includes numerous programs that families with lower incomes can access to obtain cash income, resources for food, and help with housing, child care expenses, and energy costs. However, many people who are eligible for these programs do not receive help. This Urban Institute report uses the Analysis of Transfers, Taxes, and Income Security microsimulation model to hypothetically assess the aggregate benefit dollars and reductions in poverty if there was 100% participation in the following means-tested programs:

• Supplemental Security Income;
• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program;
• The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children;
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families;
• Child care subsidies supported by the Child Care and Development Fund;
• The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program; and
• Public and subsidized housing programs.

Results are provided nationally and at the state level, as well as by age group and race and ethnicity.

A benefits cliff may occur when an increase in income pushes a worker above the income eligibility limit for public assistance programs, and the loss of assistance is greater than the value of the increase. This Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta webinar explored the economic challenge of benefit cliffs from the perspective of employers and community leaders who help families navigate public assistance programs and plan for career advancement opportunities. The webinar presented tools that can identify and inform mitigation strategies as well as a discussion of innovation pilots in Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington D.C. to develop benefits cliff solutions.

Benefits cliffs refer to the sudden and often unexpected decrease in public benefits that can occur with a small increase in earnings. This happens when families receive benefits through a public assistance program, earn a raise, and then become ineligible to continue receiving benefits despite being unable to sustain their household. This National Conference of State Legislatures report provides an overview on the Federal income eligibility requirements for public assistance programs, including housing assistance, utility assistance, food and nutrition assistance, direct cash assistance, child care, and health insurance. Additionally, it highlights work requirements for these public assistance programs and state policy strategies and legislation related to benefit cliffs.

The Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau is hosting a webinar on February 13, 2024, from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, where an expert panel will discuss the need for structured mentorship for women in the trades. Panelists will focus on best practices for program startup and review successful program structures.

As the United States confronts social, structural, and economic shifts driven by climate change, the need for workers with new skills and capabilities is clear. But not enough workers are trained and prepared for these opportunities. Jobs for the Future (JFF) launched the Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge to invest nearly $5 million in communities to develop and implement regional strategies to grow quality green jobs. The challenge is part of Climate-Resilient Employees for a Sustainable Tomorrow (CREST), which is a five-year initiative of the Ares Charitable Foundation to prepare and reskill individuals for green jobs to help ensure an equitable and inclusive economy. This JFF resource provides insights on the perceptions, barriers, and solutions in pursuit of green jobs and skills.

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation is funding the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies (BEES) project to conduct an evaluation of a supportive housing program in Portland, Oregon. The program, operated by Central City Concern, provides treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) along with housing and employment services. This OPRE project profile provides a short overview of the Central City Concern’s supportive housing program, including the program’s employment services, and describes the study to be carried out by the project team.

Access to basic needs is key to a successful transition to adulthood, but gaps in the safety net leave many young people without the supports they need. To address these gaps, human services agencies are increasingly recognizing the importance of engaging young people with lived experience navigating safety net programs. This Urban Institute fact sheet highlights strategies human services agencies can use to authentically engage young leaders in improving safety net services. It draws on insights from a series of workgroups with staff at human services agencies and youth-serving nonprofits, as well as young leaders working with agencies to make benefits more accessible for other young people.

Learning and employment records (LERs) could play a critical role in advancing skills-based hiring practices and ensuring they are implemented equitably. LERs are digital records of an individual’s formal and informal learning and employment and can be used to represent diverse experiences on the job or inside the classroom. SkillsFWD is a new initiative on a mission to catalyze a more equitable skills-based hiring ecosystem and announced inaugural grants to fund projects solving challenges around LERs. This U.S. Chamber of Commer Foundation resource names the six grant-winning teams that will spearhead diverse projects across the country, generating replicable models and sharing original learnings and insights

Colleges across the United States have invested to develop credential-stacking programs. Their target students are often working adults who don't have the time or the money to get a college degree. These programs allow them to earn a series of credentials over time that can get them to the same place. If used effectively, stackable programs can provide low-income students with a path to the middle class. This RAND resource explains stackable credentials and provides data as well as lessons learned from high-value programs