Study Details | Pathways to Work

25435-Study of Broadened H

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition, suggesting the findings can be attributed to the program.

Program: Broadened Horizons, Brighter Futures (BHBF)

Characteristics of study participants:

Disability(ies), Public benefits recipients, Young adults (age 16-24)

Services provided:

Case management, Employment coaching, Financial education, Housing supports and subsidies, Job development, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Paid work experience/internships, Soft skills training

Setting: Urban only

Methods and Standards Protocol version used for review: Version 1.0

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Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

Youth who received SSA disability benefits, lived in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and were ages 16 to 22 were eligible for the study. Researchers used SSA administrative data to randomly select eligible youth and then contacted them for baseline interviews and consent until they met enrollment targets. If youth participated in interviews and provided consent, they were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to the program and comparison groups. Recruitment occurred from April 2008 to September 2010.

Time period of study:

People were enrolled in the study from April 2008 to September 2010 and followed for three years thereafter.

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, Increase education and training

Other outcome domains examined:

Attitudes and expectations, Independence, Job characteristics, Health insurance, Criminal justice, Living arrangements

Study funded by:

SSA

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 1	High	255.00	2008 dollars	704
Increase short-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 1	High	291.00	2008 dollars	840
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 3	High	607.00	2008 dollars	685
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 3	High	280.00	2008 dollars	695
Increase short-term employment	Currently employed	Month 12	High	0.60	percentage points	731
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, annual	Year 1	High	6.60	percentage points	840
Increase short-term employment	Percentage of weeks worked, annual	Year 1	High	1.50	percentage points	721
Increase long-term employment	Currently employed	Month 36	High	1.20	percentage points	685
Increase long-term employment	Ever employed, annual	Year 3	High	5.20	percentage points	695
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of SSA benefits, annual	Year 1	High	25.00	2008 dollars	850
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Any person in household currently receive SNAP	Month 12	High	0.10	percentage points	697
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Any person in household currently receive TANF	Month 12	High	-3.40	percentage points	687
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Currently receive public health insurance	Month 12	High	-0.10	percentage points	717
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received SSA benefits, annual	Year 1	High	-1.20	percentage points	850
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of SSA benefits, annual	Year 3	High	692.00	2008 dollars	840
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Receipt of TANF, SNAP, or housing assistance, monthly	Month 36	High	9.40	percentage points	645
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received SSA benefits, annual	Year 3	High	9.60	percentage points	840
Increase education and training	Received high school diploma or GED	36 months	High	1.40	percentage points	683

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.

Means are not displayed when not reported or not aligned with the impact estimates. For example, if the impact estimate is regression-adjusted but only unadjusted means are reported in the study, the unadjusted means are not displayed as they are not aligned with the adjusted impact estimate.

Impact estimates are not shown when the estimate units cannot be converted to natural units.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the program. 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 program, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the program 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

The study focused on people ages 16 to 22 who received SSA disability benefits. The sample was 60 percent male, 52 percent Black, 42 percent Hispanic (of any race), and 36 percent White. At baseline, about two-thirds (65 percent) had never worked for pay, 97 percent received Supplemental Security Income, and 89 percent received public health insurance. The average age of participants was 19, and, at baseline, one-third had a high school diploma or equivalent certification and 56 percent were attending school. All people in the study had a disability, with cognitive or developmental disabilities (43 percent) and learning disabilities or attention deficit disorders (21 percent) reported most often as an individual’s primary disabling condition.

Age

Mean age	19 years
Young adults (age 16-24)	100%

Sex

Female	40%
Male	60%

Race and ethnicity

Black or African American	51%
White	37%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	43%
Asian	1%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	2%
Unknown, not reported, or other	9%

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.

Employment and public benefit status

Public benefits recipients

100%

Education

Had a high school diploma or GED

32%

Specific employment barriers

Had a disability

100%

Program implementation

Implementing organization:

ServiceSource implemented the program in partnership with Human Services Coalition, the YWCA, and Partners for Self-Employment.

Program history:

The program began as a pilot in January 2007, and the full project launch occurred in April 2008.

Program services:

Broadened Horizons, Brighter Futures served youth ages 16 to 22 who received SSA disability benefits and lived in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The program provided services to youth with severe disabilities with the goal of improving their employment outcomes, emphasizing linkages between education and work-based experiences, and coordinating health and social services. To this end, services included person-centered career and benefits planning; employment services such as career preparation, soft-skills training, job search assistance, job development and placement, apprenticeships, internships, and paid and unpaid employment; benefits planning and counseling and financial literacy workshops; education support (such as counseling and advising); and case management with a goal of reducing barriers to employment (including the provision of supportive services). The program also offered follow-up services after a participant obtained employment. Finally, participants were eligible to receive matching funds in individual development accounts (bank accounts with funds dedicating to starting a business, educational expenses, purchasing a car, or purchasing or repairing a home) and waivers to SSA program rules, which increased the amount of earnings that are disregarded in calculating benefits for those still enrolled in school or career exploration; decreased the rate at which benefits are reduced as earnings increase; extended benefits for those who could face losing them at age 18 or when their case was re-reviewed; and excluded certain financial accounts from asset calculations.

Mandatory services:

None.

Comparison services:

Youth in the comparison condition could receive other services available in the community.

Service receipt duration:

Participants could receive services for up to 18 months, but the project continued to serve many participants past 18 months up until the project ended in March 2012.

Program funding:

SSA

Cost information:

The average cost of providing the intervention was $7,084 per participant. The average cost of providing comparison group services was $0 per person. The net intervention cost, or difference between the two, was $7,084 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 to Work converted that information to a single amount expressed in 2024 dollars; for details, see the FAQ. This information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

Study publications

Fraker, Thomas, Arif Mamun, Todd Honeycutt, Allison Thompkins, and Erin Jacobs Valentine (2014). Final report on the Youth Transition Demonstration Evaluation, Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research. Available at https://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/documents/YTD%20Final%20Report%20508%20Compliant%2011-11-2014.pdf.

Fraker, Thomas, Todd Honeycutt, Arif Mamun, Michelle Manno, John Martinez, Bonnie O'Day, Debbie Reed, and Allison Thompkins (2012). The Social Security Administration's Youth Transition Demonstration projects: Interim report on Broadened Horizons, Brighter Futures, Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research. Available at https://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/documents/Miami%20YTD%20Report%2012-3-2012.pdf.

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Study of Broadened Horizons, Brighter Futures (BHBF)