John J' Heldrich Center for Workforce Development

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John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce
Development Bloustein School of Planning and
Public Policy  Rutgers, the State University of
New Jersey www.heldrich.rutgers.edu
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John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
Assessing the Effectiveness of To Work Programs
and Services for TANF Recipients Denise
Pierson-Balik A Presentation for the National
Association for Welfare Research and Statistics
44th Annual Workshop Oklahoma City, OK August
24, 2004
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Study Phases

• System Profile and Provider Profile
• Review of Costs of Providing To Work Services
  in 2003
• System and Process Analysis

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Study Methodology

• Site visits to to work program providers
• Interviews with state employees and programs
  managers and staff
• Telephone survey of to work program exiters
• Focus groups with to work program participants
• Administrative data analysis
• UI wage record analysis
• Document review contracts, performance reports,
  fiscal documents, etc.

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Profile of Programs/Services

• Job Search/Job Readiness
• Early Employment Initiative
• Alternative Work Experience Programs (AWEPs)
• Supported Work
• Community Work Experience Programs (CWEPs)
• Individual Training Accounts (ITAs)
• Outreach
• TANF and Post-TANF Transportation
• Other Supports Medicaid, childcare, food stamps,
  etc.

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Participant Needs and Services

• Personal and Health Issues substance abuse,
  mental health, legal issues/prior convictions,
  physical health, domestic violence
• Access to Work Support Services housing,
  childcare, transportation, food security
• Workforce Preparedness basic skills/literacy,
  language barriers, work experience, occupational
  skills

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Substance Abuse

• JCPR (2001) 20 of TANF recipients used illicit
  drugs in comparison to 12.5 of non-TANF
  population
• Legal Action Center (2002) NJ among most active
  states in addressing addiction among TANF
  population
• MPR study (2004) found low numbers of referrals,
  assessments, and treatments for TANF population
• CPAC (2002) - only residential treatment facility
  in the city closed in August 1996, the only
  inpatient detoxification closed in 1998.

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Mental Health

• GAO study (2001) 29 of a national sample of
  TANF recipients reported at least one mental
  impairment
• Urban Institute (2001), NSAF 28 of national
  sample of TANF recipients reported very poor
  mental health
• MDRC study (2001) 33 of TANF recipients in
  sample at moderate or high risk of depression

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Legal Issues / Prior Convictions

• 1/3 of NJs low-income adults experience one new
  civil legal problem during a year
• Less than 1/5 of the 415,000 low-income New
  Jerseyans who need legal help in a year receive
  it
• Poverty Research Institute of Legal Issues of New
  Jersey (2002)

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Physical Health

• Kaiser Foundation study (2003) nearly ½ of TANF
  recipients report having poor health
• US GAO (2002) welfare leavers with health
  impairments were only 1/3 as likely to be
  employed as those without health problems
• 40 of unemployed telephone survey respondents
  cited health problems as preventing them from
  actively seeking work

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Domestic violence

• US GAO (1998) study found that 20 of welfare
  recipients had been victims of domestic violence
  in past 12 months and 65 had been victims at
  some point during their lives
• NOW study of NJ survivors (2002) 39.7 had
  partner preventing them from obtaining education
  or training

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Housing

• 78 of extremely low-income Americans experience
  housing problems (23 million)
• NJ housing wage 19.74/hour to afford a 2
  bedroom apartment
• National Low Income Housing Coalition (2004)
• If you have no address, how can you find a job?
  
• They could keep my check if they found me a
  place to stay.

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Child Care

• Economic Policy Institute (2003) former welfare
  recipients who receive child care assistance are
  82 more likely to be employed after 2 years
• Urban Institute (2003) 28 of welfare leavers
  without child care assistance returned to TANF
  within 3 months, compared to 19.5 of leavers
  with child care assistance
• Its not that you cant find child care, its
  that you cant find it at the right time.

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Transportation

• Spatial Mismatch 41 of jobs are in suburbs
  (MPR 1998)
• After hours and weekend transportation
• Bus routes dont go everywhere
• Most transportation is not available overnight
  this limits people who want to work in the
  restaurant business or in other jobs that require
  late hours.

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Food security

• 2001 17.3 million people received Food Stamps
• FS increase monthly purchasing power by 39
• Center on Budget and Policy Practices
• NJ 35th in nation for food insecurity
• Center on Hunger and Poverty

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Self-Reported Receipt of Work Supports
John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Self-Reported Receipt of Services, by Race
John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Self-Reported Need for Additional Services, by
Race
John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Basic Skills

• ETS study 50 - 58 of poor adults in NJ tested
  at minimally skilled literacy level (Level 1)
• NIL 900 hours of education to move from Level 1
  to Level 2 (basic) and 200 hours from Level 2 to
  Level 3 (competent)
• We have high school graduates coming in and
  testing at the 5th grade level, it really says
  something about the quality of education in poor
  districts.

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Language Barriers

• National Adult Literacy survey (2001) found that
  non-native English speakers were disadvantaged in
  labor market and most not being reached by ESL
  classes
• Its too expensive to pay an outside ESL
  program. Here I can learn to speak English and
  practice as much as I want. It is the only way I
  could afford to learn.

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Work experience

• Study published in Social Work (2004) found that
  18 months was, on average, longest welfare
  recipients had worked at one job
• Work experience limited to low-paying,
  low-skilled service occupations
• No one will hire you because you dont have
  experience, but how can I get experience unless
  someone will hire me?

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
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Occupational Skills

• Studies show mixed results for education and
  training programs for TANF recipients
• MDRCs NEWWS study (2002) found that combining
  labor-force attachment and human capital
  development approaches worked best
• However, program participants consistently
  believe that occupational training will help them
  find and maintain a good-paying job

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development