Study Details | Pathways to Work

26670-Los Angeles Regional

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: Los Angeles Regional Initiative for Social Enterprise (LA:RISE) Pilot Program

Services provided:

Case management, Education, Financial incentives, Soft skills training, Supportive services, Training (Occupational or sectoral training), Work and work-based learning (On-the-job training, Subsidized employment, Transitional jobs), Work readiness activities (Job development/job placement, Job search assistance)

Setting: Urban only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

LA:RISE partners recruited 963 participants to enroll in this randomized controlled trial. Individuals were randomly assigned to the intervention (481) or comparison condition (482). To be eligible for participation, individuals had to be at least 18 years old, be unemployed or underemployed and have interest in full employment, and have one of three identified major barriers to employment: (1) a criminal history, (2) housing instability, or (3) status as a disconnected youth.

Time period of study:

Random assignment took place from September 2015 to April 2017.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term earnings, Increase long-term earnings, Increase short-term employment, Increase long-term employment

Other outcome domains examined:

The study also reported findings on criminal justice-related outcomes and utilization of local continuum of care resources aimed at preventing homelessness.

Study funded by:

The evaluation was funded through a U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation Fund grant.

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	Total earnings over follow-up period	1–12 months	High	5,695.00	5,441.00	-254.00	2016 dollars	963
Increase long-term earnings	Total earnings over follow-up period	24–36 months	High	8,045.00	8,941.00	896.00	2019 dollars	490
Increase short-term employment	Employed at any time in follow-up period	1–12 months	High	75.50	80.30	4.80	percentage points	963
Increase long-term employment	Employed at any time in follow-up period	24–36 months	High	59.20	63.30	4.10	percentage points	490

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 in the LA:RISE program were primarily Black, justice-involved men. The majority had not attained education beyond a high school diploma. Forty-one percent of the intervention group had not attained a high school diploma, and 45 percent of the intervention group had attained a high school diploma but no additional education. Most participants reported having held a job in the past five years. About one-third of participants received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Because the LA:RISE program served housing unstable and formerly incarcerated individuals, a large number of participants reported unstable housing statuses such as residing in a halfway or transitional house, living with family or friends, or experiencing homelessness.

Age

Young adults

54%

Sex

Female	30%
Male	70%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	45%
White, not Hispanic	5%
Another race	4%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	46%

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.

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were employed

Participant education

Had some postsecondary education	11%
Had a high school diploma or GED	58%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	42%

Specific employment barriers

Were involved with the justice system	55%
Were formerly incarcerated	46%
Were experiencing homelessness	16%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

LA:RISE was implemented by six social enterprises: the Coalition for Responsible Community Development, the Downtown Women's Center, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Chrysalis Enterprise, Goodwill of Southern California, and Homeboy Industries. These social enterprises partnered with four American Job Centers as workforce development systems partners.

Program history:

This study evaluated the pilot phase of the LA:RISE program, which operated from 2015 to 2018. Program operations have continued beyond the end of the study.

Intervention services:

Individuals enrolled in the intervention condition received at least 300 hours of subsidized transitional employment at a social enterprise or workforce development system partner, as well as on-the-job or specialized training, depending on the specific needs of the transitional job placement. Individuals in the intervention condition were also co-enrolled in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) services. Services varied but included soft-skills training, work-readiness training and assessments, supportive services, case management, education, and permanent job search and placement services. The social enterprises that served youth emphasized education more than the adult-serving social enterprises did. Participants received incentive payments when they demonstrated that they were employed.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

Individuals enrolled in the comparison condition did not receive LA:RISE job placement services or coordinated enrollment in WIOA services. Individuals in the comparison condition could access all job services available in the community, including WIOA services.

Service receipt duration:

The study did not provide information on the duration of services.

Intervention funding:

LA:RISE was designed and implemented using funding from a U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation Fund grant.

Cost information:

The average cost of providing the intervention was $8,959 per participant. The average cost of providing comparison group services was $222 per person. The net intervention cost, or difference between the two, was $8,737 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

Geckeler, Christian, Lea Folsom, Leela Hebbar, Josh Mallett, Anne Paprocki, and Maureen Sarver (2019). Final report for the impact evaluation of the Los Angeles Regional Initiative for Social Enterprise (LA:RISE) pilot program, Los Angeles, CA: Economic and Workforce Development Department. Available at https://www.spra.com/wordpress2/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/LARISE-Evaluation-Final-Report.pdf.

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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 Los Angeles Regional Initiative for Social Enterprise (LA:RISE) Pilot Program