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Overview
Millions of Americans face serious obstacles to steady work. These individuals often become enmeshed in costly public assistance and enforcement systems, and, just as important, many find themselves living in poverty, outside the mainstream in a society that prizes work and self-sufficiency.
Interest in the “hard-to-employ” surged in the 1990s, when the strong economy, rising employment-to-population ratios, and dramatic declines in the welfare caseload all combined to focus a spotlight on groups who had been “left behind.” For the first time on a large scale, welfare agencies began developing or brokering services for recipients with mental health conditions, substance abuse problems, disabilities, and other serious barriers to work. Parallel changes were occurring in other systems: Criminal justice officials began to focus on the daunting problems facing prisoners returning to their communities, and the rapid growth of disability programs led policymakers to look for ways to encourage work among beneficiaries. These efforts are ongoing today.
Since its founding, MDRC has sought to identify the most effective ways to improve labor market outcomes for individuals facing serious barriers to employment. Best known are MDRC’s studies of work-focused welfare reform initiatives and earnings supplements designed to promote employment and improve the well-being of low-wage workers and their families. MDRC also has a long history of studying interventions to help out-of-school youth transition successfully into employment. Finally, in recent years, MDRC has developed new bodies of research on employment-focused programs for individuals with health problems and disabilities and for youth and adults in the criminal and juvenile justice systems.
Key Documents on Welfare & Barriers to Employment
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