Study Details | Pathways to Work

915-Future Steps: Study

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a low-attrition randomized controlled trial with no known issues that suggest the findings cannot be attributed to the intervention.

Intervention: Future Steps

Services provided:

Case management, Supportive services, Work readiness activities (Job development/job placement, Job search assistance)

Setting: Rural only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

In five rural counties in Illinois, TANF and Food Stamps recipients who were required to work, and other low-income volunteers who were available and willing to work at least 30 hours per week, were randomly assigned to the intervention or the comparison group in even proportions. The individual was the unit of assignment and the unit of analysis. A total of 630 people participated in the study (313 in the Future Steps group and 317 in the comparison group). Evaluators conducted a follow-up survey 18 months after random assignment and collected information from 520 people (252 from Future Steps and 268 from the comparison). For another survey 30 months after random assignment, evaluators collected information from 536 people (261 from Future Steps and 275 from the comparison).

Time period of study:

Sample members were enrolled between July 2001 and December 2002, and program services continued until September 2003.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term earnings, Increase long-term earnings, Increase short-term employment, Increase long-term employment, Decrease short-term benefit receipt, Decrease long-term benefit receipt

Other outcome domains examined:

Physical health, Mental health

Study funded by:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ACF, funded the study.

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Intervention group mean	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 1	High	2,905.00	2,992.00	87.00	2003 dollars	630
Increase short-term earnings	Total earnings, follow-up period	Quarters 1-6	High	9,381.00	8,831.00	-550.00	2003 dollars	520
Increase long-term earnings	Monthly earnings	Month 30	High	525.00	598.00	73.00	2003 dollars	525
Increase long-term earnings	Quarterly earnings	Quarter 14	High	833.00	935.00	102.00	2003 dollars	630
Increase short-term employment	Continuously employed, follow-up period	Months 1-18	High	19.90	17.50	-2.40	percentage points	536
Increase short-term employment	Currently employed	18 months	High	55.10	56.10	1.00	percentage points	533
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Quarter 6	High	36.00	36.00	0.00	percentage points	630
Increase long-term employment	Continuously employed, follow-up period	Months 1-30	High	14.00	10.00	-4.00	percentage points	536
Increase long-term employment	Currently employed	30 months	High	53.20	61.80	8.60	percentage points	533
Increase long-term employment	Currently employed	Quarter 14	High	32.00	35.00	3.00	percentage points	630
Increase long-term employment	Months employed, follow-up period	Months 1-30	High	15.50	15.80	0.30	months	536
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Average monthly amount of Food Stamps received, Year 1	Year 1	High	179.00	185.00	6.00	2003 dollars	630
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Average monthly amount of TANF received, Year 1	Year 1	High	30.00	33.00	3.00	2003 dollars	630
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receipt of Food Stamps in previous month	18 months	High	71.50	75.60	4.10	percentage points	520
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receipt of General Assistance in previous month	18 months	High	2.30	2.70	0.40	percentage points	520
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receipt of other public assistance in previous month	18 months	High	1.40	1.30	-0.10	percentage points	520
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receipt of Social Security in previous month	18 months	High	6.40	3.70	-2.70	percentage points	520
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receipt of SSI or SSDI in previous month	18 months	High	13.30	13.80	0.50	percentage points	520
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receipt of TANF in previous month	18 months	High	13.10	14.30	1.20	percentage points	520
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receipt of unemployment insurance in previous month	18 months	High	4.80	5.90	1.10	percentage points	520
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Receipt of WIC in previous month	18 months	High	28.00	29.60	1.60	percentage points	520
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 1	High	26.10	30.50	4.40	percentage points	630
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 1	High	92.20	95.40	3.20	percentage points	630
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of SSI received in previous month	30 months	High	70.00	53.00	-17.00	2003 dollars	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of WIC received in previous month	30 months	High	15.00	13.00	-2.00	2003 dollars	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of Food Stamps received in previous month	30 months	High	181.00	204.00	23.00	2003 dollars	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of foster care received in previous month	30 months	High	3.00	1.00	-2.00	2003 dollars	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of General Assistance received in previous month	30 months	High	4.00	1.00	-3.00	2003 dollars	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of Social Security received in previous month	30 months	High	26.00	17.00	-9.00	2003 dollars	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of TANF received in previous month	30 months	High	37.00	31.00	-6.00	2003 dollars	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of unemployment insurance received in previous month	30 months	High	23.00	7.00	-16.00	2003 dollars	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Average monthly amount of food stamps received, Year 3	Year 3	High	151.00	159.00	8.00	2003 dollars	630
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Average monthly amount of TANF received, Year 3	Year 3	High	22.00	17.00	-5.00	2003 dollars	630
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 3	High	14.70	10.70	-4.00	percentage points	630
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps public assistance in previous month	30 months	High	67.20	73.40	6.20	percentage points	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 3	High	69.50	71.80	2.30	percentage points	630
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received other public assistance in previous month	30 months	High	1.80	1.10	-0.70	percentage points	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received Social Security in previous month	30 months	High	5.60	3.80	-1.80	percentage points	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received SSI or SSDI in previous month	30 months	High	14.40	11.40	-3.00	percentage points	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received TANF in previous month	30 months	High	13.00	11.40	-1.60	percentage points	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received unemployment insurance in previous month	30 months	High	4.50	2.00	-2.50	percentage points	536
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received WIC in previous month	30 months	High	24.30	25.20	0.90	percentage points	536

Short-term outcomes are those measured 18 months or fewer after participants are first offered services. Long-term outcomes are those measured between 18 months and 5 years after participants are first offered services. Very long-term outcomes are those measured 5 years or more after participants are first offered services.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the intervention. We do not display findings that rate low.

Findings key:

A moderate-to-large favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large favorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that might be due to chance
A favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A favorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that might be due to chance
An unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
An unfavorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size or direction
A finding of no effect that might be due to chance

Favorable findings are impacts in a direction that is socially desirable. Statistical significance indicates the likelihood that a study finding is due to the intervention, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the intervention produced a sufficiently large change in the outcome. An impact receives this designation if the standardized effect size is equal to or greater than 0.25 or equal to or less than -0.25.

Sample characteristics

On average, sample members were 30 years old. Three-quarters were female. Fifty percent were Black and non-Hispanic, 46 percent were White and non-Hispanic, and 5 percent were Hispanic or another race or ethnicity. Slightly more than one-quarter of sample members did not have a high school diploma or GED, whereas 31 percent had more than a high school diploma or GED. At baseline, 18 percent were working for pay. A large majority (87 percent) reported earnings less than $10,000 in the year before baseline. More than half (56 percent) of sample members had received TANF or Aid to Families with Dependent Children at some point in their lives, and 15 percent were receiving it at the time of baseline. More than half (56 percent) were living in single-adult households.

Age

Mean age

30 years

Sex

Female	77%
Male	23%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	50%
White, not Hispanic	46%
Another race	1%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	3%

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.

Family status

Married	18%
Parents	71%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were employed	18%
Were eligible for or receiving cash assistance	15%
Were long-term cash assistance recipients	23%

Participant education

Had some postsecondary education	31%
Had a high school diploma or GED	73%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	27%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Shawnee Community College operated Future Steps under a contract with the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS); staff were located in five county-level IDHS offices.

Program history:

The program operated from July 2001 to September 2003, and random assignment began in July 2011. Elements of the program had already been pilot-tested.

Intervention services:

Intervention group members received extended case management services, including (1) an assessment of skills and interests; (2) individualized job search, job placement, and skills enhancement programs; (3) referrals, supportive service payments, and mentoring to overcome personal and logistical obstacles; and (4) extended post-employment support up to three months after securing a job. Some clients in this group were volunteers, but others were required to participate or risk losing some of their TANF or Food Stamps benefits.

Mandatory services:

Authors estimate that between one-quarter and one-third of Future Steps applicants were volunteers; the rest were mandatory participants who faced reductions in benefit payments if they did not work 30 hours a week.

Comparison services:

Comparison group members could not enroll in Future Steps but could receive all other available services.

Service receipt duration:

The Future Steps program had at least one service contact with 93 percent of the individuals in the intervention group. The program had an average of 10.6 hours of contact time with those individuals with at least one service contact during the time the program was studied. On average, clients enrolled in services for 16 months.

Intervention funding:

Illinois Department of Human Services; Shawnee Community College

Cost information:

The average cost of providing the intervention was $3,883 per participant. The average cost of providing comparison group services was $0 per person. The net intervention cost, or difference between the two, was $3,883 per person. This represents how much more it cost to provide intervention services compared to comparison services.

These figures are based on cost information reported by study authors. The Pathways Clearinghouse converted that information to a single amount expressed in 2018 dollars; for details, see the FAQ. This information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

Study publications

Meckstroth, Alicia, Andrew Burwick, Michael Ponza, Shawn Marsh, Timothy Novak, Shannon Phillips, Nuria Diaz-Tena, and Judy Ng (2006). Paths to work in rural places: Key findings and lessons from the impact evaluation of the Future Steps Rural Welfare-to-Work program, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/paths_to_work.pdf.

Meckstroth, Alicia, Ann Person, Quinn Moore, Andrew Burwick, Andrew McGuirk, Michael Ponza, Shawn Marsh, Timothy Novak, Zhanyun Zhao, and Justin Wheeler (2008). Testing case management in a rural context: An impact analysis of the Illinois Future Steps program: Findings from the Rural Welfare-to-Work Strategies Demonstration evaluation, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/testing_case.pdf.

View the glossary for more information about these and other terms used on this page.

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

Study of Future Steps