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 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.

Service coordination can help people achieve and maintain housing stability, wellness, and independence by identifying and connecting the services and supports they want and need. A strategy to increase access to this service coordination is “braiding”, which laces together funds from multiple sources - each funding unique activities - to support a common goal while maintaining the specific program identity of each individual funding source. The Housing and Services Resource Center, a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will host a webinar on January 31, 2024, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET, which will feature two models for braiding funding streams across sectors to maximize the use of existing resources and broaden access to service coordination. Presenters will discuss program structure, funding and braiding process, partnerships, and outcomes, and participants will learn ideas for adapting these models to extend access to service coordination.

Toxic stress and trauma are unfortunate and common experiences, affecting many individuals’ abilities to succeed in education, employment, and life at large. Recent studies show that 60-70% of adults have experienced at least one of the most common types of traumatic experiences, adverse childhood experiences (ACE). Individuals with two ACEs are 1.5 times more likely to have employment struggles, 1.4 times more likely to be absent from work (2 out of 30 days), and 1.8 times more likely to have financial issues. This Corporation for a Skilled Workforce blogpost explains different traumas and how trauma or toxic stress can show up in workforce development.

Connecting children, youth, and families to the services they need is critical, but it can be a challenge for child welfare agencies and community providers. This Chapin Hall Evidence-Based Practice Desk Guide allows case workers and providers to make informed decisions and ensure a good fit between clients and the services they receive. This tool focuses on programs proven to support family well-being and stability. Services areas include mental health treatment, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and in-home parent skill-based programs.

The benefits of recovery from problematic substance use are wide-ranging. They include improvements in a person’s physical health, emotional well-being, relationships, school and career achievement, and financial security. These benefits extend well beyond the individual, positively affecting families, workplaces, communities, and society. Counselors and other professionals can play a critical role in helping individuals achieve their recovery goals and in supporting them as they develop the skills needed for long-term recovery. This Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) provides guidance to counselors, administrators, and supervisors about recovery-oriented services, supports, and care, allowing them to better serve individuals in or seeking recovery from problematic substance use.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently announced new webinars as part of its series focused on youth mental health. The series seeks to respond to questions and insights raised by attendees at the Foundation’s Youth Mental Health Summit hosted with the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General in April 2023. Field experts at Annie E. Casey Foundation are set to host the following upcoming sessions that will feature leading researchers and practitioners:
1. Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Young Immigrants will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET on November 21, 2023;
2. Exploring Community-based Approaches to Youth Mental Health care will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET on December 19, 2023; and
3. Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: Creating Safe and Nurturing Environment will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET on January 23, 2024.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently announced new webinars as part of its series focused on youth mental health. The series seeks to respond to questions and insights raised by attendees at the Foundation’s Youth Mental Health Summit hosted with the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General in April 2023. Field experts at Annie E. Casey Foundation are set to host the following upcoming sessions that will feature leading researchers and practitioners:
1. Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Young Immigrants will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET on November 21, 2023;
2. Exploring Community-based Approaches to Youth Mental Health care will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET on December 19, 2023; and
3. Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: Creating Safe and Nurturing Environment will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET on January 23, 2024.

Understanding trauma and being able to implement trauma-informed programming is critical to the success of any youth organization working with marginalized populations. Although many organizations might talk about trauma, they also struggle to take that knowledge and implement changes to programs and policies that are truly trauma informed. The National Youth Employment Coalition will host the second webinar of a two-part series on November 9, 2023 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET, where participants will hear discussions on the behaviors that adults working with young people can engage in that are trauma-informed and supportive. This workshop will also discuss how helping relationships can go awry, mimicking, usually unintentionally, the types of abusive relationships that young people have experienced.

Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Accounts are tax-advantaged savings accounts that are available to eligible individuals with disabilities. ABLE account funds can be used for "qualified disability-related expenses" (QDE). A QDE is any expense the beneficiary incurs because of the disability. These may include expenses related to education, housing, transportation, employment training and support, or other expenses that help improve health, independence and/or quality of life. This Social Security Administration blogpost explains who is eligible for an ABLE account, what the funds are used for, and the effect it has on Social Security disability benefits.