Supporting Work for Low-Income People with Significant Challenges - Summary

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Abstract

Welfare programs require people to work, but some low-income adults struggle with major personal challenges that make it hard to find or hold down a job. In this summary, Loprest and Martinson recommend both short-term changes to current programs and longer-term efforts through a program for competitive federal matching block grants to states. These grants would support efforts to integrate programs that alleviate barriers to work with employment services and to evaluate these initiatives so policymakers can better understand what works.

Introduction

Welfare programs require people to work, but some low-income adults struggle with major personal challenges that make it hard to find or hold down a job. Welfare offices aren?t always equipped to deal with many of these challenges, and social service programs rarely include job services. Disability income and insurance programs provide cash assistance but often don?t help recipients get back to work. As a result, hard-toemploy adults can fall through the cracks.

Program Development

Significant obstacles to work include chronic physical or mental health issues, substance abuse, domestic violence, low literacy, learning disabilities, a criminal record, limited education and work experience, or the need to care for a disabled child. But many of these challenges can be resolved or mitigated with social services or accommodated with the right job match.

We have limited information about what strategies are best for helping work-challenged adults, but research to date shows that a combination of employment services, financial incentives to get and keep a job, and support to address severe work barriers holds promise.We?ve identified four potentially beneficial strategies. Service-focused employment preparation blends social services (e.g., substance abuse treatment, mental health services, etc.) with help finding work. This approach emphasizes screening to identify barriers, job placement assistance, and post-employment services, such as on- or off-site coaching.

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The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.

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