The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (OFA) Regions I through IV hosted the OFA Regions I-IV East Coast TANF Directors’ Meeting, Leveraging Partnerships to Help Families Achieve Economic Stability, on July 24-26, 2018 at the Westin Boston Waterfront in Boston, Massachusetts. The meeting convened representatives from TANF programs from Regions I-IV and provided TANF representatives with an opportunity to learn about promising practices, discuss shared challenges faced by TANF programs, and share ideas with peers from other states about how to respond to the needs of low-income families. The meeting also included practitioners and researchers who shared information about their own work, and who looked to TANF representatives and federal partners for future research opportunities. Representatives attended presentations from experts and program administrators, and worked with other states to think of innovative practices during Team Work sessions.

Although research has shown that transportation expenditures are burdensome for low-income households, there is less information available explaining how households manage their mobility needs. To shed insight, this Journal of Poverty article details transportation experiences of 73 low-income individuals in San Jose, California. Research discovered that although low-income families creatively find methods of managing transportation costs, these survival strategies come at a price. High costs to transportation result in fewer miles travelled. This limits families from the very employment opportunities which could lift them out of poverty. (Cost required to access full article.)

This research-to-practice brief highlights data from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey. Data indicates that low-income households spend a higher proportion of their income on transportation expenses. This disproportionately affects African Americans and Hispanics, who experience the highest rates of poverty. Interestingly, this brief explains that low-income individuals experience transportation differently, depending on the city in which they reside. In Los Angeles and Atlanta, low-income populations have shorter travel radiuses between home and work than the average population. In New York, this trend is the opposite – individuals in poverty are more likely to travel further distances to find work. These trends and challenges have implications for all urban residents, which seem likely to persist in the face of rising transportation costs.

This article analyzes whether access to automobiles and public transport affect employment outcomes for low-income individuals. The authors use longitudinal survey data from participants in the Welfare to Work Voucher Program, which was conducted in five metropolitan areas between 1999 and 2005. Multiple logistic regression shows that access to automobiles has a strong positive correlation to employment. However, neither access to public transport nor registered housing assistance has an impact on job attainment. Research finds that enhancing automobile access for low-income populations could significantly improve employment outcomes among very low-income adults, but that other forms of assistance – including for housing – may not be as effective.

This brief, published by the Urban Institute, argues for a shift in thinking beyond the “cars versus transit” mentality which isolates urban poor from economic opportunities. Car access is often restrictive for poor families, immigrants, and people of color. Yet at the same time, public transport is often cumbersome or inaccessible – especially for those outside of the densest urban areas. This brief argues for the creation of new regional coalitions – which would assess the transportation needs of low-income households and implement solutions – including strategies combining affordable car ownership, ride sharing, and expanded transit access. Reducing barriers and burdens of car ownership and driver’s licenses, while promoting carpooling and car sharing strategies, could significantly benefit mobility and accessibility for urban low-income populations.

This report from the Urban Institute highlights the work of three community-based organizations taking part in the JPMorgan Chase’s New Skills at Work Initiative. It showcases promising approaches and strategies to engage employers to fill their employment needs and train workers to meet these needs.

This MEF Associates evaluation report prepared for the City of Seattle evaluates their Career Bridge program. Career Bridge was developed as an alternative means of addressing recent gun violence in the city by addressing employment barriers of low-income men of color. The report focuses on the implementation of the program and the employment outcomes for the first three program cohorts that completed the program in 2014.

This study, published by the Opportunity Collaborative, provides a detailed look at barriers to employment across the Baltimore region. Research was gathered through interviews with workforce development managers, as well as a survey of over 1,000 active job seekers. It views workforce barriers not as separate issues, but rather as a complex network requiring comprehensive solutions. Transportation is examined in context to associative issues including social barriers, racism, a lack of education, and housing – making it an important resource for understanding challenges to self-sufficiency. Findings report that low-income neighborhoods, which are constrained by limited public transport, are unable to access job centers across the city. Twenty-five percent of job seekers cannot access jobs via public transport, since job creation is increasingly happening outside of the city. When public transport is available, limited service schedules inhibit its effectiveness. This keeps off-peak workers from getting to and from work, and makes it difficult for individuals to easily travel between home, child care, and work.