Population: Low-Income Populations

Welfare Recipients

Since its founding, MDRC has been a leading developer and evaluator of programs focused on improving the self-sufficiency and economic circumstances of welfare recipients and their families.

The Latest

Report

Tribal Solutions

This report describes the ways in which eight TANF programs primarily serving American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) families use subsidized employment. It found that their use of subsidized employment has the potential to provide work opportunities for AIAN individuals with limited work experience and barriers to employment.

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Report

Experiences of Parents and Children Living in Poverty

One in five U.S. children live in poverty. This review examines how children and parents think and feel about poverty and public benefits, as well as how families discuss their economic circumstances. Children report awareness of both material deprivation and stigma.

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Key Documents

Testimony

The Labor Market After the Great Recession

Implications for Income Support Policy

On the eve of the 15th anniversary of federal welfare reform, MDRC President Gordon Berlin describes the implications of the Great Recession and its effects on the labor market for welfare policy and other safety net programs. The speech was given at the 2011 Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Welfare-to-Work Program Benefits and Costs

A Synthesis of Research

Most welfare programs seek to ensure that poor families have adequate income while at the same time encouraging self-sufficiency. Based on studies of 28 programs involving more than 100,000 sample members, this synthesis compares the costs, benefits, and returns on investment of six welfare program strategies – from the perspectives of participants, government budgets, and society as a whole.

Testimony on Subsidized Job Programs

Presented Before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, Human Resources Subcommittee

On July 30, 2014, MDRC’s Dan Bloom testified before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources on what research says about the effectiveness of subsidized employment programs in promoting work, reducing poverty, and improving other important outcomes.

Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families (BEES) Population: Low-Income Populations Populations with Barriers to Employment	Understanding Poverty: Childhood and Family Experiences Focus Area: Family Relationships Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Population: Low-Income Populations Families	Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt Focus Area: Family Relationships Two-Generation Programs Child Support Population: Families Low-Income Populations Locations: Arizona, California, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia
Breaking Barriers San Diego Focus Area: Welfare Reform Disability Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Intervention: Welfare-to-Work, Case Management, Employment Services Locations: California	Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency-Next Generation Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Low-Income Populations Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions	The SNAP Employment and Training Evaluation Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Welfare Reform Work Support and Asset Building Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Reemployment Programs, Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Virginia
Center for Applied Behavioral Science (CABS) Focus Area: Child Support Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Low-Income Populations Children and Schools	The Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (STED) Project Focus Area: Reentry Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Intervention: Transitional Jobs/Subsidized Employment	Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency Project Focus Area: Child Support Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Low-Income Populations Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions
Next Generation Focus Area: Two-Generation Programs Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Welfare-to-Work Locations: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin	Jobs-Plus Community Revitalization Initiative for Public Housing Families Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Intervention: Financial Incentives, Employment Services Locations: California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington

The “Make Work Pay” Experiments Focus Area: Financial Incentives Welfare Reform Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Financial Incentives Locations: Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Canada	Evaluations of State Welfare-to-Work Programs Focus Area: Welfare Reform Population: Low-Income Populations Populations with Barriers to Employment Intervention: Case Management, Employment Services, GED Completion, Job Training, Reemployment Programs, Welfare-to-Work Locations: California, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin	Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration Focus Area: Financial Aid Financial Incentives Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Tutoring, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid, Developmental Education Locations: Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, New York, Ohio
TANF/SSI Disability Transition Project Focus Area: Disability Health Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Intervention: Case Management, Employment Services	Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Reentry Health Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Intervention: Telephonic Services, Transitional Jobs/Subsidized Employment, Case Management, Employment Services Locations: Kansas, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island	Employment Retention and Advancement Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Welfare Reform Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Reemployment Programs, Welfare-to-Work, Case Management, Financial Incentives, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: California, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas
Minnesota Family Investment Program Focus Area: Financial Incentives Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Intervention: Case Management, Benefits Planning, Financial Incentives, Employment Services Locations: Minnesota	New Chance Focus Area: Two-Generation Programs Population: Young Adults Intervention: Parenting Skills Programs, Case Management, Counseling/Advising, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania	Ohio's Learning, Earning, and Parenting Program Focus Area: High School High School Dropouts Financial Incentives Two-Generation Programs Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth and Juvenile Justice Population: Young Adults Intervention: Case Management, Financial Incentives, GED Completion Locations: Ohio
The UK Employment Retention and Advancement Project Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Financial Incentives Population: Low-Income Populations Families Intervention: Employment Services, Financial Incentives, Job Training, Reemployment Programs, Welfare-to-Work Locations: United Kingdom

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Welfare Recipients

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