The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program was established in the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 and is one the largest efforts by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to improve self-sufficiency among those receiving federal rental assistance. In 2012, HUD commissioned a national random assignment evaluation of the FSS program’s impacts on labor market and other quality-of-life outcomes for households receiving Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs). The FSS program has two key components: case managers who work with participant households to develop individualized self-sufficiency plans and to access other community services, and asset development via interest-bearing escrow accounts. This report by MDRC examines FSS program implementation, participants’ engagement in the program, and program impacts on labor force participation and government benefits receipt five years following random assignment.

Between 1998 and 2003, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development administered the Jobs Plus demonstration in six cities with areas of concentrated poverty and unemployment. The demonstration aimed to increase employment and earnings among public housing residents through a combination of on-site employment-related services and rent incentives. The original demonstration had strong, positive results. In 2014, a new and expanded Jobs Plus pilot program was launched. MDRC developed this report which examines the impact of the 2014 replication program, assessing participation and labor market outcomes in the first 24 public housing agencies that received funding for the program.

Child poverty is associated with both short- and long-term health and well-being. Poverty affects child health directly through the experience of deprivation, such as through food insufficiency or lack of housing, but also indirectly through the availability of parental or community resources. Economic resources also shape children's access to health-promoting policies, like education, child care, parental leave, and health care, which affect both current and later-life health and mortality. Many income support policies also reduce poverty and improve economic well-being, which in turn improves child health. This free open access article reviews the evidence on income support policies in the United States and their effects on child health. This paper is not an exhaustive literature review but paints a broad picture of findings related to income support and child health. It also outlines policy considerations and areas where additional research is needed to understand how income support and poverty reduction might best support child health.

One in 30 youths, ages 13 to 24, and 1 in 10 young adults, ages 18 to 25, experience some form of homelessness over the course of a year. These youth face instability and trauma during an important developmental period which limits their growth and creates costly effects for them and the communities in which they live. This brief is the first in a series highlighting challenges and opportunities facing youth, ages 14 through 24, as part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Thrive by 25® efforts. The brief analyzes youth homelessness and offers recommendations for how systems can make certain every young person has a place to call home - a safe and secure place to prepare for adulthood.

Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) programming is designed to teach participants how to communicate effectively, manage conflict, identify signs of an unhealthy relationship, and other skills important for developing and maintaining healthy relationships. While research evaluating HMRE programming effectiveness shows that programming often has positive impacts, research also points out that many program participants face additional life stressors that may interfere with healthy couple relationships and family functioning. This brief uses data from a sample of Hispanic couples who participated in an HMRE evaluation to show the prevalence of some of the key economic, demographic, and personal stressors that research identifies as predictive of relationship quality. Some of the key findings of the study reflect that some stressors cannot be eliminated by HMRE programs, and that other stressors (e.g., housing hardship or poor health) can be addressed by utilization of other social service programs, such as TANF, Medicaid, or subsidized housing.

When people struggle to make ends meet, public benefit programs have the potential to help them meet their basic needs for food, housing, health care, and cash. Yet many families and individuals do not participate in the programs that could help meet their needs and for which they are eligible. This report presents a menu of strategies that have the potential to increase access to individual public benefit programs or a package of benefits. Strategies for improving public benefit access can involve revising service delivery practices and processes, changing state or local policies, or using or improving technology. The report focuses on Illinois, but the strategies identified are relevant throughout the country.

This brief explores how guaranteed income might address gaps and deficits in policies designed to address America’s housing affordability crisis. Less well documented in the research are the supplementary and comparative advantages of cash infusion vis-à-vis programs restricted to meeting basic needs, such as housing, food, and child care. This analysis of guaranteed income as a strategy to combat the affordable housing crisis cites secondary data from past experiments as well as current demonstrations that have released evaluation data. In addition to using secondary data, interviews were conducted with key stakeholders from three recent municipal guaranteed income pilots in Arlington, Virginia; Austin, Texas; and Chicago, Illinois.

Many jurisdictions are considering unconditional direct cash transfers (DCTs) to youth and young adults to bolster housing stability, transitions to adulthood, well-being, and racial justice. DCTs offer a promising source of support and a safety net. The benefit of participating in a DCT program, though, is diminished if the payments increase tax obligations or reduce eligibility for public benefits or other financial assistance. Informed by collaborative community engagement with youth experts, local jurisdictions, nonprofits, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers through an interactive webinar series, this toolkit presents in one place the tax, public benefits, and educational aid implications for young people participating in DCT programs. Collaborators in the design of the toolkit also identified strategies to mitigate adverse effects on young people and maximize the positive effects of DCTs on young people’s well-being and investments in their personal goals.

To serve jobseekers effectively, employment and training programs may need to incorporate essential supportive services. These three Workforce System Strategies resources – Local Workforce Development Boards and Child Care, Evaluation of SNAP Employment and Training Pilots, and Implementing Healthcare Career Pathway Training Programs in Rural Settings – document supportive services such as childcare, training materials, transportation assistance, rental assistance, and work clothing to increase jobseeker abilities to access, prepare for, and obtain employment.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announces a Notice of Funding Opportunity under the Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency Service Coordinator (ROSS-SC) grant program, which is designed to assist residents of Public and Indian Housing progress towards economic and housing self-sufficiency by removing educational, professional, and health barriers. HUD provides ROSS-SC grant funding to eligible applicants to hire a Service Coordinator who assesses the needs of public and Indian housing residents and links them to training and supportive services that will enable participants to move along the self-sufficiency continuum. Grant applications are due by July 18, 2022.