Study Details | Pathways to Work

1003-Salem, OR Employment

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: Valuing Individual Success and Increasing Opportunities Now (VISION)

Population and employment barriers:

Cash assistance recipients, Parents (Single parents)

Services provided:

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

Setting: Urban only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

At two welfare offices, evaluators randomly assigned Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) applicants eligible for welfare-to-work programs to either Valuing Individual Success and Increasing Opportunities Now (VISION) or to Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS), the state's typical welfare-to-work program, between May 2002 and May 2004. The study randomly assigned 1,504 single parents during the two years, 89.8 percent of whom were required to participate in a welfare-to-work program. At the time of the 12-month follow-up analysis, data on public assistance receipt were available only for the 977 participants randomly assigned by September 2003. The evaluation included a survey 12 months after random assignment that was administered to all participants who were randomly assigned between May and October 2003, who were 18 years old or older, and who spoke English or Spanish. In total, 418 participants were selected for the survey and 300 responded to the survey. A total of 316 participants from two-parent homes were randomly assigned but are included in a separate study.

Time period of study:

The program was studied from May 2002 through 2007. This study reports impacts for participants one and three years after random assignment.

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, Job characteristics

Study funded by:

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in ACF at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded the study, with support from the U.S. Department of Labor.

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	4,095.00	3,840.00	-255.00	2003 dollars	1,504
Increase short-term earnings	Average weekly earnings in past year	Year 1	High	132.00	120.00	-12.00	2003 dollars	300
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 3	High	6,873.00	6,593.00	-280.00	2005 dollars	1,504
Increase short-term employment	Currently employed	Month 12	High	44.30	40.40	-3.90	percentage points	300
Increase short-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Year 1	High	22.00	19.20	-2.80	percentage points	1,504
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Quarter 4	High	42.10	39.80	-2.30	percentage points	1,504
Increase long-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Year 3	High	34.20	30.90	-3.30	percentage points	1,504
Increase long-term employment	Ever employed, annual	Year 3	High	61.70	58.60	-3.10	percentage points	1,504
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of AFDC/TANF benefits, annual	Year 1	High	1,954.00	2,319.00	365.00	2003 dollars	977
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of Food Stamp/SNAP benefits, annual	Year 1	High	2,579.00	2,739.00	160.00	2003 dollars	977
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 1	High	57.70	64.40	6.70	percentage points	1,504
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 1	High	92.30	93.50	1.20	percentage points	1,504
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Average annual amount of AFDC/TANF benefits, follow-up period	Year 1–3	High	1,304.00	1,602.00	298.00	2004 dollars	1,504
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Average annual amount of Food Stamp/SNAP benefits, follow-up period	Year 1–3	High	2,212.00	2,305.00	93.00	2004 dollars	1,504
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 3	High	26.60	29.80	3.20	percentage points	1,504
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 3	High	70.70	69.60	-1.10	percentage points	1,504

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

Participants were TANF-eligible single parents (though 4 percent reported not having any children). Most (90 percent) were female, U.S. citizens (98 percent), and native English speakers (98 percent). The majority of participants were White (70 percent) or Hispanic (15 percent). Forty-one percent had not received TANF before the study. The average age was between 29 and 30 years old, and 69 percent of participants had at least a high school degree or equivalent certification.

Age

Mean age

30 years

Sex

Female	90%
Male	10%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	3%
White, not Hispanic	70%
Another race	7%
American Indian or Alaska Native	5%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	15%

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

Parents	100%
Single parents	100%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were employed	9%
Were eligible for or receiving cash assistance	100%

Participant education

Did not have a high school diploma or GED

32%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

State TANF and a local community college

Program history:

The Salem program, called VISION, was developed for the study. It began operation in May 2002 as a collaboration between the local welfare agency and a community college. The program operated out of the local one-stop career center.

Intervention services:

The Salem VISION program provided job search assistance and post-employment services to unemployed TANF recipients. The program was run by the local welfare agency and a community college and operated out of a one-stop career center. Participation was typically mandatory and was enforced by sanctions. Job search assistance included job placement and workshops on job retention and career paths. Staff helped clients develop and regularly revisit a personal development plan to identify and prepare for a job that interested them. A case manager from the local welfare office could authorize supportive services. VISION staff reportedly devoted most of their time to preemployment services and helped clients gain access to public assistance. VISION also offered post-employment services that focused on promoting job retention and career advancement, including support in achieving the career goals set before employment. VISION intended to provide post-employment services regardless of continued TANF eligibility status but did not do so consistently.

Mandatory services:

Participation in the intervention was mandatory for most of the sample and was enforced by sanctions.

Comparison services:

TANF recipients assigned to the comparison group participated in the state's typical welfare-to-work program, JOBS, delivered by the local welfare office. Participation was typically mandatory. Case managers conducted intake assessments and authorized supportive services. Employment consultants delivered workshops on job search interviews and resume preparation. Participants enrolled in up to 45 days of job search and preparation workshops. Staff helped clients develop a personal development plan but rarely revisited it. The program ended when participants found work and were no longer eligible for TANF.

Service receipt duration:

Preemployment services were typically available for 45 days, but VISION staff could extend the time for clients with so-called promising prospects.

Intervention funding:

Oregon TANF

Study publications

Hendra, Richard, Keri-Nicole Dillman, Gayle Hamilton, Erika Lundquist, Karin Martinson, Melissa Wavelet, Aaron Hill, and Sonya Williams (2010). The Employment Retention and Advancement project: How effective are different approaches aiming to increase employment retention and advancement? Final impacts for twelve models, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/resource/the-employment-retention-and-advancement-project-how-effective-are.

Molina, Frieda, Wan-Lae Cheng, Richard Hendra, and MDRC (2008). The Employment Retention and Advancement project: Results from the Valuing Individual Success and Increasing Opportunities Now (VISION) program in Salem, Oregon, New York: MDRC. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/resource/results-from-the-valuing-individual-success-and-increasing-opportunities.

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 Valuing Individual Success and Increasing Opportunities Now (VISION)—Single Parents