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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welfare Restructuring Project (WRP) Incentives Only |
additional services: Physical health services, Childcare and/or early education
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Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Vermont |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Welfare-to-Work Vouchers |
additional services: Housing supports and subsidies
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Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients |
Washington |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Work Plus |
additional services: Action step development, Case management, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Unconditional cash transfers
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Tested in multiple settings | Single parents |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Work Plus (as compared with Training Focused Program) |
additional services: Job search assistance, Job readiness, Transportation assistance
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Tested in multiple settings | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |