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.

While a significant portion of college students are eligible for safety net benefits, many do not access the support they need. Students may not realize they are eligible for benefits or struggle to complete the application or recertification processes. This Urban Institute fact sheet highlights how human services agencies can improve outreach to college students eligible for safety net benefits. It draws on insights from a series of workgroups with staff at human services agencies and youth-serving nonprofits, as well as young leaders.

Employment coaching involves trained staff working collaboratively with participants to help them set individualized goals related to employment and providing motivation, support, and feedback as participants work toward those goals. Recently, there has been growing interest among policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in using employment coaching to assist Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other adults with low incomes become economically mobile. This video accompanies a Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report which highlights the evaluation that was designed to assess the implementation and effectiveness of the four programs participating in the Employment Coaching for TANF and Related Populations study. The report answers the following research questions: In what contexts were programs implemented? How did the designs of the programs vary and differ? How was coaching implemented across programs?

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta published a case study that analyzes a workforce development program in Washington, D.C., which was created to help families navigate the loss of government benefits when their employment income increases. The paper frames the discussion around a hypothetical family receiving support from all major federal public assistance programs, including those managed by the Administration for Children and Families that help families with income assistance, child care, and utility payments.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of External Affairs and Office of Regional Operations hosted the “Less Poverty, More Prosperity: States Tackle Benefit Cliffs” convening, bringing together 17 states that have all taken steps to address the cliff effect in their communities, as well as parents with lived experience, businesses, and non-profit and philanthropic organizations. This ACF blogpost discusses how ACF and its partners are working to shed more light on this issue and how it impacts children, families, and communities.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation released U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines Used to Determine Financial Eligibility for Certain Programs for 2024. There are three tables, including poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, Alaska, and Hawaii. This webpage offers additional resources, prior Department of Health and Human Services’ poverty guidelines and Federal Register references, and frequently asked questions.

While some secondary schools incorporate lessons on budgeting, saving, and investing into their curricula, often there is no formal venue to learn about money that is accessible to all communities. For those who experience economic victimization, including individuals who have experienced human trafficking, education and resources may also be needed to address the financial trauma to improve their relationship with money. Economic empowerment programming demystifies financial wellbeing by providing education, tools, and resources for people to attain financial literacy, stability, and professional growth. This Office of Planning, Research and Planning resource addresses strategies for survivor economic empowerment and provides additional resources, including a guide for anti-trafficking service providers.

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.

Benefit cliffs describe incremental increases in income that result in major, destabilizing losses to critical benefits. The cliffs are a major impediment to families successfully participating in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training (E&T) services and transitioning from assistance into family-sustaining wages. Depending on the state and wage, the new job may come with the loss of other benefits like Medicaid or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families as well. This American Public Human Services Assocation brief explores the challenges SNAP E&T participants face during the critical first months after they have obtained unsubsidized employment.

Read part one here.