Low-Income Populations

Since its founding, MDRC has focused on improving the lot of low-wage workers and helping unemployed people to gain a foothold in the labor market.

Issue Focus Population

Low-Wage Workers Welfare Recipients Public Housing Residents The Unemployed

Highlights

Report

Reducing Work Disincentives in the Housing Choice Voucher Program

Rent Reform Demonstration Baseline Report

Housing Choice Vouchers subsidize rent and utilities for homes that families rent from private landlords. The Rent Reform Demonstration is testing an alternative rent policy for voucher recipients. This report describes the new policy, the rationale behind each of its elements, and the way it is being evaluated.

Overview »

Full

Brief

Can Sector Strategies Promote Longer-Term Effects?

Three-Year Impacts from the WorkAdvance Demonstration

WorkAdvance offers training and placement services to help prepare individuals for quality jobs in sectors that have strong local demand and advancement opportunities. In this update on employment and earnings only, the most experienced provider continued to produce substantial impacts on both; one other provider increased earnings for late enrollees.

Overview »

Full

Brief

Medical Debt and Subprime Borrowing

Findings from the Subprime Lending Data Exploration Project

Medical debt was a main theme emerging from a survey and interviews with individuals who use payday or subprime installment loans. Many respondents reported using such loans to pay medical bills or to cover regular expenses that may have originated from a health-related emergency.

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Head Start Connects Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Work Support and Asset Building Population: Children and Schools Families Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Intervention: Case Management	Moving To Work Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Intervention: Financial Incentives	Creating Moves to Opportunity Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives Locations: Washington
MDRC Center for Effective Career and Technical Education Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary High School Dropouts Youth Employment Job Retention and Advancement Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Employment Services, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs	Get Ready Guilford Initiative Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Children and Schools Low-Income Populations Intervention: School Readiness, Case Management, Coordinated Care/Care Management, Home Visiting Locations: North Carolina	Child First Focus Area: Health Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Home Visiting Locations: Connecticut, North Carolina
Grameen America Evaluation Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Financial Incentives Population: Low-Income Populations Populations with Barriers to Employment Intervention: Asset Building, Financial Incentives Locations: New Jersey	TANF Data Innovation Focus Area: Welfare Reform Population: Low-Income Populations	MDRC Center for Data Insights: Improving Programs and Systems with Actionable Data Science Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Children and Schools Young Adults Families
The Cascades Job Corps College and Career Academy Pilot Evaluation Focus Area: Youth Employment Student Services Job Retention and Advancement High School Dropouts Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Low-Income Populations Intervention: Sectoral Training, Student Services, Classroom Services, Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Washington	Pretrial Justice Reform Study Focus Area: Pretrial Justice Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations	College Promise Success Initiative Focus Area: Financial Aid Student Services Population: Young Adults Low-Income Populations Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid Locations: California, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island
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	Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP) Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth Employment Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Intervention: GED Completion, Job Training, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs Locations: Alaska, Arizona, California, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York
The TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative Evaluation Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Work Support and Asset Building Population: Low-Income Populations Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Reemployment Programs, Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Employment Services	Work Rewards Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Financial Incentives Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Financial Incentives, Employment Services Locations: New York	Family Rewards 2.0 Focus Area: Financial Incentives Two-Generation Programs High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Low-Income Populations Children and Schools Families Intervention: Financial Incentives Locations: New York, Tennessee
The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation, Long-Term Follow-Up Focus Area: Health Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Home Visiting	MyGoals for Employment Success Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Financial Incentives Work Support and Asset Building Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Financial Incentives, Employment Services Locations: Maryland, Texas	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
Process and Impact Evaluation of New York City’s Pretrial Supervised Release Program Focus Area: Pretrial Justice Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Locations: New York	Families Forward Demonstration Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Child Support Population: Low-Income Populations Families Intervention: Sectoral Training, Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Colorado, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington	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	Improving Contraceptive Options Now (ICON) Focus Area: Health Population: Young Adults Low-Income Populations Intervention: Counseling/Advising
Behavioral Interventions for Child Support Services (BICS) Project Focus Area: Child Support Two-Generation Programs Family Relationships Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Behavioral Interventions Locations: California, Colorado, Dist. of Columbia, Georgia, Ohio, Texas, Vermont, Washington	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	Subprime Lending Data Exploration Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Population: Low-Income Populations
NYC Change Capital Fund’s Economic Mobility Initiative Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Low-Income Populations Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Locations: New York	SaveUSA Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Financial Incentives Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Asset Building, Financial Incentives Locations: New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas	Rent Reform Demonstration Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Intervention: Financial Incentives
WorkAdvance Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Sectoral Training, Reemployment Programs, Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: New York, Ohio, Oklahoma	Paycheck Plus: Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit for Single Adults Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Asset Building, Financial Incentives Locations: Georgia, New York	The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE)-Strong Start Focus Area: Health Family Relationships Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Home Visiting Locations: California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin
Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE) Focus Area: Health Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Home Visiting	The Family Self-Sufficiency Program Evaluation Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Work Support and Asset Building Population: Low-Income Populations 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 High School Dropouts Population: Low-Income Populations Locations: Illinois
Opportunity NYC Demonstrations Focus Area: Financial Incentives Two-Generation Programs High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Low-Income Populations Children and Schools Families Intervention: Financial Incentives Locations: New York	Design Options for Home Visiting Evaluation Focus Area: Health Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Home Visiting	WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs Gold Standard Evaluation Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Sectoral Training, Reemployment Programs, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin
Mayor’s Fund & Center for Economic Opportunity Social Innovation Fund Project Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Financial Incentives High School Dropouts Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Low-Income Populations 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	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	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
Supporting Healthy Marriage Focus Area: Family Relationships Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Relationship Education, Parenting Skills Programs, Counseling/Advising Locations: Florida, Kansas, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington

Nudges to Increase Customer Engagement (NICE) in Child Support Programs Focus Area: Child Support Two-Generation Programs Family Relationships Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Behavioral Interventions Locations: New York	Childhood Asthma Scan Focus Area: Health Population: Children and Schools Families Low-Income Populations	The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Low-Income Populations Locations: California, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, 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	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
AutoSave Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Asset Building Locations: California, New York, Ohio	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	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
Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education Population: Low-Income Populations Families Locations: Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington	Work Advancement and Support Center Demonstration Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Job Retention and Advancement Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Benefits Planning, Case Management, Counseling/Advising, Employment Services, Financial Incentives, Job Training, Reemployment Programs Locations: California, Connecticut, Ohio, Texas	California Works for Better Health Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Health Population: Low-Income Populations Intervention: Employment Services Locations: California
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	The Camden Regional Equity Demonstration Project Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Low-Income Populations Locations: New Jersey

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Low-Income Populations

Current Projects

Completed Projects