This evaluation report provides early findings of the Breaking Barriers pilot program that provides adults on probation with a time-limited rental housing subsidy and housing retention services, along with case management and employment support. The report reviews the program’s impact on reducing recidivism, improving housing stability among program participants, and increasing employment incomes enough for participants to take over rental payments without the subsidy at the end of the two-year program period. Additionally, the report examines factors that supported and hindered the program’s implementation and lessons learned from implementing Breaking Barriers at the field level.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration has developed this webcast to address questions for prospective applicants for the Young Adult Reentry Partnership Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The webcast covers application submission requirements; applicant and participant eligibility; required partnerships, grant activities, and components; priority consideration; and the evaluation of Reentry Employment Opportunities projects. Grant applications are due on April 20, 2020.

This research-to-practice brief profiles Kentucky’s Addiction Recovery Care program, which offers workforce development services for individuals with a history of substance misuse. The brief notes how individuals with opioid use disorder often encounter concurrent issues at the time of recovery, including poverty, homelessness, and low-level education attainment. The brief also identifies that workforce development services are not tailored to individuals with opioid use disorder and that these individuals need skills to maintain recovery and support self-sufficiency.

This report presents findings of a random assignment evaluation of the WorkAdvance model which focused on sectoral-based career pathways. Four providers (Per Scholas, St. Nicks Alliance, Madison Strategies Group, and Towards Employment) implemented the WorkAdvance model between June 2011 and June 2013. There were 2,564 study participants. The study findings identify WorkAdvance’s long-term impacts on participants’ employment and earnings and include a cost-benefit analysis to assess the effects of WorkAdvance model from the perspectives of the participants, the government, and society.

This recorded webinar from the U.S. Department of Labor covers unemployment compensation requirements and issues for persons and employers affected by COVID-19. Recorded on March 17, 2020, the webinar offers states guidance on: determining whether a person affected by COVID-19 is unemployed and able to work, available for work, and actively seeking work; examples for assessing unemployment compensation; employer charging and the issues facing unemployment insurance fund solvency; eliminating the waiting week before benefits can be issued; and promoting short-time compensation.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report assesses initial findings of Paycheck Plus, a refundable tax credit program for low-income workers without dependent children. The report examines the effect of this demonstration program among low-wage earners in Atlanta by evaluating the effect of a bonus payment on employment rates, earnings, and income on a pre-tax and post-tax basis. The report also identifies the effect of the bonus by gender, level of disadvantage, and earnings of study participants before entering the study.

This research-to-practice brief identifies programmatic solutions to support reentry for young adults who have been involved in the juvenile justice or criminal justice system as they navigate employment and education pathways. The brief summarizes best practices from nine communities under the three-year U.S. Department of Labor-funded Compass Rose Collaborative (CRC). CRC communities are: Southeast Arkansas; Los Angeles, California; Denver, Colorado; Hartford, Connecticut; Louisville, Kentucky; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; and Albany, New York.

This report summarizes findings from random assignment studies of 13 subsidized employment programs funded under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (STED) and the U.S. Department of Labor Enhanced Transitional Jobs Demonstration (EJTD). The report presents the impacts on the employment and earnings for participants in each of the 13 programs and also examines nonemployment outcomes for participants such as reducing recidivism and increased child support payments.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance seeks applications for technical assistance and training providers for Second Chance Act (SCA) grantees to improve reentry and reduce recidivism. Providers are sought to support site-based SCA grantees in one of the following three categories of technical assistance: Corrections and Community Engagement; Education, Employment, and Community Engagement; and Behavioral Health, Housing, and Family Support. Submissions are due by April 28, 2020.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance has announced a grant funding opportunity under the Correctional Adult Reentry Education, Employment, and Recidivism Strategies (CAREERRS) Program under the Second Chance Act. Applications are sought to implement or expand education and employment programs that build partnerships with corrections, parole, probation, education, workforce development, and reentry service providers to enhance employment prospects for incarcerated youth and adults reentering the workforce. Grants applications are due by April 27, 2020.