Drawing on the industry that designs incentives for private-sector corporations, this paper explores incentives as a potential strategy for promoting job retention and advancement among disadvantaged workers. The paper, which provides a step-by-step process for designing incentive programs to...

Assesses the effects of employment on family well-being for current and former TANF recipients in Iowa who gained employment. Finds that when parents were employed, they reported aggregate improvements in family income, standard of living, parental self-esteem, parenting skills, and how their...

Examines mental health conditions among welfare recipients, to 1) provide an overview of common conditions and the mental health system, 2) discuss the types and prevalence of certain disorders, 3) offer strategies for linking recipients with treatment and designing employment services to move...

Details findings from a study of a program that provides retention and advancement services to clients who obtain jobs but continue to receive cash assistance. Notes that a major challenge was low participation rates.

Looks at 16 families who left TANF in spring 1999 and reported $500 or less in family income to see how they make ends meet. Focuses on sources of income and expenses, strategies for making ends meet, and family well-being, noting that most families had earnings from employment, but low pay,...

Presents a conceptual framework for designing, implementing, and testing interventions for low-income unmarried parents interested in strengthening their relationships and possibly forming and sustaining healthy marriages. The interventions would address the needs and circumstances of these...

Some TANF recipients may have disabilities that would qualify them for the specialized employment preparation services Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies provide. This brief explores the benefits and challenges of linking TANF and VR services, describes partnerships that have been formed in...

The implementation of more stringent sanctions as part of welfare reform has been accompanied by interest in how sanctions are used and their outcomes. This report analyzes how TANF sanctions have been implemented in Illinois, New Jersey, and South Carolina, based on six key tasks: informing...

This study identified Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients (that is, welfare recipients) who use mental health services, compared them with Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, and estimated the number of TANF recipients who might qualify for SSI.

Identifies strategies that state and local welfare offices are using to promote participation in food stamps, Medicaid, and SCHIP. Also discusses challenges they face in providing support to working families. The findings suggest that diverse strategies, focusing on program awareness,...