STEP Forward

STEP Forward focused on rapidly getting participants interviews for a subsidized job. HSA anticipated that participants would quickly move through the program and interview for jobs. The following activities comprised STEP Forward:

• Case management. Upon random assignment into STEP Forward, participants met with a case manager who assessed their job readiness on three factors: 1) if they had an up-to-date resume, 2) if they had access to child care and transportation, and 3) if they had appropriate interview attire. In practice, HSA staff identified additional barriers like mental health and substance use challenges and outdated job skills that also affected job readiness.
• Work-readiness activities. If a participant was not considered job ready, case managers could help with resumes, mock interviews, soft-skills development, and career advice. They also referred participants to remedial and postsecondary education services. Social workers referred participants to external social services agencies as necessary. Most participants were not deemed immediately job ready.
• Job fairs. HSA organized weekly job fairs with private employers specifically for participants in the JOBsNOW! and STEP Forward programs. If a participant was considered job ready, the case manager reviewed jobs that participants could interview for at the weekly job fair. The case manager signed the participant up for interviews that they thought would be a good match and the participant had expressed interest in. Interviews lasted about 15 minutes. Employers might hire a participant based on the interview alone or might invite participants to additional interviews.
• Subsidized employment. Private employers could receive wage reimbursements from HSA for STEP Forward participants hired to work at least 25 hours a week at market wages. These were competitive jobs, meaning they were not created specifically for the program. Employers made all hiring decisions and were expected to put participant hires on the company’s payroll. Initially, HSA reimbursed all employers up to $1,000 a month for up to five months per participant. To attract employers offering higher wages, HSA increased subsidies for employers that paid at least $13.50 an hour by reimbursing 100 percent of a participant’s wages in the first month, 75 percent in the second month, and up to $1,000 a month for the last three months. The initial subsidy structure remained the same for employers paying less than $13.50 an hour.
• Job club. At the weekly job club for program participants, job developers presented openings for that week’s job fair. Job club was intended to be a voluntary activity, but it became a central program service as the issues with job readiness became more apparent. If participants missed three job clubs in a row, a social worker would reach out to encourage them to return.

The study authors also characterized the employers as clients of HSA and STEP Forward because job developers recruited employers for the job fairs and participant interviews. Further, employers wanting to remain in HSA’s employer network had to agree to conditions intended to protect HSA clients, like retaining participants as employees as long as they met employers’ job performance standards.