Advancement Projects

California

Los Angeles County (post-employment
services)

Newly employed welfare recipients working at least 32 hours per week

Stabilization/retention services, followed by a combination of services to promote advancement:  e.g., education and training, career assessment, targeted job development

Riverside County
(education and training)

Newly employed welfare recipients working at least 20 hours per week

Test of alternative strategies for promoting participation in education and training activities for working parents

Riverside County
(Post-Assistance Self-Sufficiency program, or PASS)

Individuals who have left welfare and are working

Intensive, family-based support services delivered by community-based organizations to promote retention and advancement

Florida

Duval (Jacksonville) and Leon (Tallahassee)
Counties

Low-wage workers (details not yet specified)

Generous stipends to promote participation in education and training

Illinois

Cook (Chicago) and St. Clair (East St. Louis) Counties

Welfare recipients who have worked at least 30 hours per week for at least six consecutive months

A combination of services to promote career advancement: e.g., targeted job search assistance, education and training, assistance in identifying and accessing career ladders

Oregon

Medford and Eugene

Employed former welfare recipients

Stabilization/retention services, followed by a combination of services to promote advancement

Placement and Retention Projects

Minnesota

Hennepin County
(Minneapolis)

Long-term welfare recipients who were unable to find jobs through standard welfare to work services

In-depth family assessment; intensive monitoring and follow-up; emphasis on placement into unsubsidized employment or supported work with referrals to education and training, counseling, and other support services

New York

New York City (Personal Roads to Individual
Development and
Employment, or PRIDE)

Welfare recipients whose employability is limited by physical or mental health problems

Two main tracks: (1) Vocational Rehabilitation: Participants with severe medical problems receive unpaid work experience, job placement, and retention services tailored to account for medical problems; (2) Work-Based Education: a combination of unpaid work experience, remedial education, job placement, and retention services

New York City
(substance abuse case management)

Welfare recipients with a substance abuse problem

Intensive case management to promote participation in substance abuse treatment, links to mental health, employment, and other needed services

Oregon

Portland

Individuals who are cycling back onto welfare and those who have lost jobs

Team-based case management, job search/job readiness activities, intensive retention and follow-up services, mental health and substance abuse services for those identified with these barriers, supportive and emergency services

State

Location

Target Group

Primary Service Strategies

Projects with Mixed Goals

California

Los Angeles County
(enhanced job club)

Welfare recipients who have been required to search for employment

Job search workshops using a “step-down” model: Participants initially target higher-paying jobs and then, if unsuccessful, gradually reduce their target wage.

Oregon

Salem

Welfare applicants

Job search assistance combined with career planning; once employed, education and training, employer linkages to promote retention and advancement

South Carolina

Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, and Marlboro Counties

Individuals who left welfare (for any reason) between October 1997 and December 2000

Individualized case management with focus on reemployment, support services, career counseling, education and training, and use of individualized incentives

Tennessee

Shelby County
(Memphis)

Welfare recipients who have been assigned to look for work

Pre-employment career planning, job development, and job search assistance; post-employment follow-up to promote retention and advancement

Texas

Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, and Houston

Welfare applicants and recipients

Intensive, individualized team-based case management; monthly stipends of $200 for those who maintain employment and complete activities related to employment plan