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Summary

IPS was designed to help individuals with severe mental illness find and keep a job. This evaluation directly compared IPS to a separate program, EVR, to understand which of the two might be more effective. The distinctive feature of IPS was an individualized rapid job search process to quickly place participants in competitive employment.

IPS gave people ongoing support to find work based on their own preferences, a vocational assessment, and job development. Employment specialists gave individualized support to participants as well as counseling and help with transportation. There was no time limit on IPS services; employment support was given as needed. IPS was provided to unemployed individuals who were living in an urban neighborhood that was low income and who had severe mental disorders that kept them from finding employment for at least two years. This study of IPS was implemented at Community Connections, a large mental health agency in Washington, DC.

The effectiveness of IPS when compared to EVR indicates the effect of being referred to a set of services that includes those unique to IPS, or how much better the offer of IPS met participants’ needs than the offer of EVR. IPS did not provide prevocational services and did not operate through a rehabilitation agency; it’s primary focus was on individualized vocational support, whereas EVR provided a stepped approach of vocational services through rehabilitation agencies. The main services for EVR consisted of the presence of a vocational counselor, who helped match participants with rehabilitation agencies, and (sheltered?) work or training specially supervised by mental health staff.

25092-Study of Community C
Populations and employment barriers: Unemployed, Mental health condition

Effectiveness rating and effect by outcome domain

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Outcome domain Term Effectiveness rating Effect in 2024 dollars and percentages Effect in standard deviations Sample size
Increase earnings Short-term Little evidence to assess support unfavorable $-73 per year -0.002 150
Long-term Cannot assess support
Very long-term Cannot assess support
Increase employment Short-term Cannot assess support
Long-term Cannot assess support
Very long-term Cannot assess support
Decrease benefit receipt Short-term Cannot assess support
Long-term Cannot assess support
Very long-term Cannot assess support
Increase education and training All measurement periods Cannot assess support

Effectiveness ratings

  • Well- supported
  • Supported
  • Mixed support
  • Not supported
  • Insufficient evidence
  • Cannot assess support

Studies of this program

Study quality rating Study counts per rating
High High 1
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Implementation details

Characteristics of research participants
Black or African American
83%
Unknown or not reported
17%

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if the authors reported race and ethnicity separately; in these cases, we report the category White, rather than White, not Hispanic.

State(s) where implemented

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY Canada

Pathways to Work refers to programs by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some program names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.