This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation compendium provides detailed summaries of each family self-sufficiency research project that was active or newly funded during FY 2021, along with brief overviews of past projects, and highlights select findings released in FY 2021. The studies in this report are organized into five sections:

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
• Employment and the Labor Market
• Education and Training
• Behavioral Science
• Cross-Cutting and Other Safety Net Research

In rural communities, widely dispersed populations face many access challenges. With a declining talent pool and lower educational attainment, coupled with rising poverty rates as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to prepare young people in rural areas for high-demand careers. The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship hosted a webinar on April 28, 2022, which focused on best practices and creative solutions for increasing pre-apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship access, enrollment, retention, and program completion for young people in rural areas. Featured youth apprenticeship intermediaries and partners shared their accomplishments in developing youth apprenticeship opportunities in rural areas, establishing support networks, and best utilizing resources to ensure pre- and youth apprenticeship success.

As the economy struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing volatility in labor markets, leaders in the field of young adult talent development are seeing a need to develop approaches that address the talent needs of employers and the training aspirations of young adults equally. This Jobs for the Future brief explores how personalized learning approaches can be used to support and balance the interests of the supply and demand sides in young adult talent development.

This is the first brief in the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) 2.0 Participant Perspectives series. HPOG 2.0 funded local career pathways programs to prepare participants for occupations in the healthcare field that paid well and were expected to either experience labor shortages or be in high demand. This brief presents insights from in-depth, in-person interviews with participants in career pathways programs funded under HPOG 2.0. It describes participant experiences navigating career pathways and suggests implications for career pathways program practice and for evaluations of career pathways programs.

This brief presents findings from an exploratory impact evaluation of the New York City Performance Partnership Pilot (P3) program, which enhanced youth workforce services for young parents. Initial findings note that NYC P3 enrollees had better outcomes than the comparison group in their occupational training participation rate. Enrollees were more likely to participate in other education and job-oriented services, achieve high school equivalency credential attainment, and enroll in education/training enrollment and credential attainment after they leave the program. The brief concludes with recommendations for policy and practice.

This report includes a review of effective employment and training (E&T) program components and practices published between 2016 and 2020 to provide information that can be used to align SNAP E&T policy and programs to achieve the best training, employment, and wage gains for SNAP participants and integrate the E&T program within the broader public workforce system. The report also provides specific recommendations for building effective SNAP E&T programs, including recommendations related to developing successful workforce system partnerships and identifying the right mix of services to meet participants’ needs.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration has announced a funding opportunity under the Workforce Pathways for Youth demonstration grant program. Workforce Pathways for Youth demonstration grants support national out-of-school time (OST) organizations that serve historically underserved and marginalized youth ages 14 to 21. Funding will also support partnerships between workforce development boards and youth-serving organizations. Applications are due by April 25, 2022.

Providing access to tangible resources can strengthen families and communities by avoiding and de-escalating crises, reducing parental stress, increasing access to safe housing and reliable childcare, and ensuring children have the material items they need to thrive. This brief discusses the impact of community-based strategies, connections, and collaborations that offer economic supports to address families’ basic needs, keeping children safe and families together. These include housing supports, food assistance, financial supports, employment assistance, early care and education services, legal services, and medical and behavioral health care.

This playbook, developed in collaboration between the National Community Action Partnership and the American Public Human Services Association, explores how Community Action and human services agencies partnered together in response to the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis. It presents opportunities for alignment in providing whole family supports, making career pathways possible for SNAP recipients, and tackling structural inequities in accessing services. Examples of these alignments include western Maryland and Virginia (whole family supports), Minnesota and Oregon (SNAP Employment & Training), and rural Ohio and Montgomery County, Maryland (dismantling structural inequities).