People who receive cash assistance can face unique challenges and opportunities as they try to find jobs or move to higher-paying jobs. This Population in Focus page summarizes what we know about programs that can improve key outcomes of cash assistance recipients.
The Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse has reliable evidence for 77 programs that served cash assistance recipients, based on 116 studies rated as moderate or high quality. The results below focus on programs with the largest reported effects for long-term earnings, employment, public benefit receipt, and attainment of education and training.
For each outcome, we present results from programs with favorable effectiveness ratings for that outcome. These results show what’s possible but may not always happen again if the program is implemented under different conditions. The results can partly reflect how a program was tested. Future success may depend on factors like staffing, resources, and features of a community.
For more information about the programs covered in this summary, use the hyperlinks in Exhibit 1 below.
Earnings
Jobs-First Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program had the largest reported effects on long-term annual earnings (an average of $4,483 per year). Jobs-First Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) emphasized a rapid employment strategy to help recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) improve their earnings and employment outcomes.
Employment
Jobs-First Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program had the largest reported effects on long-term employment (an average of 6 percentage points). Jobs-First Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) emphasized a rapid employment strategy to help recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) improve their earnings and employment outcomes.
Public benefit receipt
Delaware's A Better Chance (ABC) Welfare Reform Program had the largest reported effects on long-term benefit receipt (decreasing the amount of public benefits received by $1,093 per year). ABC aimed to increase earnings for recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) through personal responsibility requirements, work provisions, and time limits on benefit receipt.
Education and training
Atlanta Human Capital Development (HCD) Program had the largest reported effects on education and training (increasing the attainment of a degree or credential by an average of 8 percentage points). To help participants secure jobs that could lead to economic self-sufficiency, Atlanta’s Human Capital Development (HCD) program focused on providing education and training to single parents who were Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients.
Programs serving cash assistance recipients: implementation and outcomes
Exhibit 1 lists 77 programs for cash assistance recipients included in Pathways to Work. It includes information about key program features like the services offered, the settings in which it was studied, and populations included in the studies. These program features may have shaped the studies’ results.
The exhibit also shows effectiveness ratings and reported effects by outcome for each program, based on Pathways to Work study reviews. An effectiveness rating tells us whether a program is likely to produce favorable results, if it is implemented under similar conditions.
You can use the exhibit to identify programs with a supported rating and consider their relevance for your community. Links to the program pages also allow you to learn about other factors that may affect success like staffing and resources.
| Program | Services | Settings | Population(s) | State(s) | Term | Increase earnings | Increase employment | Decrease public benefit receipt | Increase education and training |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids Labor Force Attachment (LFA) Program (as compared with Grand Rapids Human Capital Development [HCD] Program) |
additional services: Case management, On-the-job training, Paid work experience/internships, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships
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Urban only | Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents, Unemployed |
Michigan |
Short-term | ||||
| Long-term |
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| Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) |
additional services: Basic skills/bridge programs, Case management, Job development, Job readiness, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships
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Tested in multiple settings, Urban only | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents, Unemployed |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) 2.0 |
additional services: Assessment, Basic skills/bridge programs, Career planning, Case management, Employment coaching, Employment experiences, Integrated education and training, Job development, Job placement, Job search assistance, On-the-job training, Ongoing support, Tuition assistance/financial aid
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Tested in multiple settings | Cash assistance recipients, At least a high school diploma or equivalent |
Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Indiana Welfare Reform Initiative |
additional services: Case management, Childcare and/or early education, Earned income disregards, Job placement, Job readiness, Paid work experience/internships, Post-employment participant follow-up, Soft skills training, Transportation assistance, Work supports
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Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Indiana |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Individualized Job Search Assistance (IJSA) |
additional services: Job search assistance
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Tested in multiple settings, Urban only | At least a high school diploma or equivalent, Public Benefits Recipients, Unemployed |
District of Columbia, Florida |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Individualized Job Search Assistance with Training (IJSA+) |
additional services: Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, On-the-job training
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Tested in multiple settings, Urban only | At least a high school diploma or equivalent, Public Benefits Recipients, Unemployed |
District of Columbia, Florida |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Integrated Case Management |
additional services: Job search assistance, Childcare and/or early education, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships
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Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Ohio |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Integrated Case Management (as compared with Traditional Case Management) |
additional services: Job search assistance, Childcare and/or early education, Earned income disregards, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships
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Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Ohio |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Intensive Case Management (ICM) for Women with Substance Dependence Receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) |
additional services: Assessment, Benefit navigation/access, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Ongoing support, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Treatment or recovery services for substance use disorder
|
Urban only | Substance use disorder |
New Jersey |
Short-term | ||||
| Long-term |
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| Jobs-First Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program |
additional services: Case management, Childcare and/or early education, Diversion payments, Job development, Physical health services, Work and Work-Based Approaches
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Tested in multiple settings | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents, Unemployed |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Los Angeles County Transitional Subsidized Employment Program—On-the-Job Training (OJT) |
additional services: Case management, Job placement, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs
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Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents, Unemployed |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Los Angeles County Transitional Subsidized Employment Program—On-the-Job Training (OJT) (as compared with Paid Work Experience (PWE)) |
additional services: Case management, Job placement, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs
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Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents, Unemployed |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Los Angeles County Transitional Subsidized Employment Program—Paid Work Experience (PWE) |
additional services: Case management, Job placement, Job search assistance, Stipends
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Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents, Unemployed |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Los Angeles County Transitional Subsidized Employment Program—Paid Work Experience (PWE) (as compared with On-the-Job [OJT] Training) |
additional services: Case management, Job placement, Job search assistance, Stipends
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Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents, Unemployed |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Michigan Goal Progress Success (MI-GPS) |
additional services: Action step development, Assessment, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Employment experiences, Goal setting, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Transportation assistance, Tuition assistance/financial aid
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Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients, Unemployed |
Michigan |
Short-term |
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| Long-term | |||||||||
| Michigan Opportunity and Skills Training (MOST) followed by Work First |
additional services: Case management, On-the-job training, Paid work experience/internships, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships, Work supports
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Urban only | Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents, Unemployed |
Michigan |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) |
additional services: Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Case management, Childcare and/or early education, Education and Training, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Transportation assistance, Work supports
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Tested in multiple settings, Urban only | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents, Unemployed |
Minnesota |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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