Population: Low-Income Populations

People in Public Housing

MDRC developed and evaluated the successful Jobs-Plus program, which increased earnings of residents of public housing and is being replicated in several locations, and also evaluated the Family Self Sufficiency program, including a version with additional financial incentives.

The Latest

Issue Focus

A Platform for Supporting Work: New Findings on the Jobs-Plus Employment Program in Public Housing

Two new MDRC reports published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development highlight both the long-term potential of the Jobs Plus employment program to improve economic mobility and the challenges of effectively expanding the model.

Overview »

Report

Nearing the Finish Line

The federal Family Self-Sufficiency program is a voluntary case-management and asset-building intervention that provides incentives to work for Housing Choice Voucher recipients. This report examines program implementation, participants’ engagement in services, and impacts on labor force participation and receipt of government benefits five years following random assignment.

Overview »

Full

Key Documents

Report

Helping Public Housing Residents Find and Keep Jobs

A Guide for Practitioners Based on the Jobs-Plus Demonstration

This guide contains practical advice on implementing a program model — known as the Jobs-Plus Community Initiative for Public Housing Families (Jobs-Plus) — aimed at helping public housing residents find and keep jobs.

Sustained Earnings Gains for Residents in a Public Housing Jobs Program

Seven-Year Findings from the Jobs-Plus Demonstration

An extended analysis of Jobs-Plus, an ambitious employment program inside some of the nation’s poorest inner-city public housing developments, finds substantial effects on residents’ earnings a full three years after the program ended.

Building Self-Sufficiency for Housing Voucher Recipients

Interim Findings from the Work Rewards Demonstration in New York City

This report presents four-year findings from a test of three interventions: the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program, FSS plus cash work incentives, and cash work incentives alone. FSS+incentives improved employment and earnings among participants who were not working at study entry, but none of the interventions had impacts for participants overall.

Supporting Moves to Opportunity Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives Locations: Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin	Creating Moves to Opportunity Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives Locations: Washington	MyGoals for Employment Success Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Financial Incentives Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Financial Incentives, Employment Services Locations: Maryland, Texas
STRIVE Future Leaders Implementation Study Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Youth Employment Youth and Juvenile Justice Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Intervention: Mentoring, Case Management, Career & Technical Education, Behavioral Interventions, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania	NYC Change Capital Fund’s Economic Mobility Initiative Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Locations: New York	The Family Self-Sufficiency Program Evaluation Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Case Management, Asset Building, Financial Incentives, Employment Services Locations: California, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas
Chicago’s New Communities Program Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Elementary and Middle School Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Populations with Low Incomes Locations: Illinois	Mayor’s Fund & Center for Economic Opportunity Social Innovation Fund Project Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Financial Incentives Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Reemployment Programs, Asset Building, Financial Incentives, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas	Jobs-Plus Community Revitalization Initiative for Public Housing Families Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Financial Incentives, Employment Services Locations: California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington

MDRC

Population: Low-Income Populations

People in Public Housing

A Platform for Supporting Work: New Findings on the Jobs-Plus Employment Program in Public Housing

Nearing the Finish Line

Helping Public Housing Residents Find and Keep Jobs

Sustained Earnings Gains for Residents in a Public Housing Jobs Program

Building Self-Sufficiency for Housing Voucher Recipients

Supporting Moves to Opportunity

Creating Moves to Opportunity

MyGoals for Employment Success

STRIVE Future Leaders Implementation Study

NYC Change Capital Fund’s Economic Mobility Initiative

The Family Self-Sufficiency Program Evaluation

Chicago’s New Communities Program

Mayor’s Fund & Center for Economic Opportunity Social Innovation Fund Project

Jobs-Plus Community Revitalization Initiative for Public Housing Families

Work Rewards

The Camden Regional Equity Demonstration Project

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