The Welfare-to-Work Grants Program:
Enrollee Outcomes One Year After Program Entry

Report to Congress

By:
Thomas M. Fraker, Dan M. Levy, Robert B. Olsen, Rita A. Stapulonis

Submitted to:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

Project Officer: Alana Landey

Submitted by:
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Project Director: Alan M. Hershey
Co-Principal Investigators: Thomas M. Fraker (Mathematica)
Demetra S. Nightingale (Urban Institute)

February 2004

This report is available on the Internet at:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/wtw-grants-eval98/outcomes1yr04/

How to Obtain a Printed Copy

Contents

Executive Summary

Chapter

1. Introduction
   1. WtW Objectives and Funding
   2. WtW in the Context of Welfare Reform
   3. Objectives and Design of the WtW Evaluation
   4. Methodology for the Outcomes Analysis
   5. Purpose of this Report
2. Who Enrolled in Welfare-to-work?
   1. What Were the Demographic Characteristics of Enrollees?
   2. What Were the Labor Market Assets and Liabilities of Enrollees?
   3. Were Enrollees Dependent on TANF?
   4. How Much Recent Work Experience Did Enrollees Have?
3. What Services Did WtW Enrollees Receive?
   1. Did Enrollees Receive Employment Preparation Services?
      1. What Types of Employment Preparation Services Did Enrollees Receive?
      2. What Was the Duration of Employment Preparation Services?
      3. Were the Employment Preparation Services Useful?
   2. Did Enrollees Receive Skill Enhancement Services?
      1. What Types of Skill Enhancement Services Did Enrollees Receive?
      2. What Were the Duration and Intensity of Skill Enhancement Services?
      3. Did Employment Precede the Receipt of Skill Enhancement Services?
   3. A Classification of WtW Programs, Based on Services Actually Received by Enrollees
4. Did WtW Enrollees Achieve Success in the Labor Market?
   1. Did Enrollees Become Employed?
      1. Were Enrollees Employed at All During the Year after Program Entry?
      2. How Long Did it Take Enrollees to Find Jobs?
      3. For What Proportion of the Year Were Enrollees Employed?
      4. Were Enrollees Employed One Year after Program Entry?
      5. Why Were Some Enrollees Not Employed One Year after Program Entry?
   2. What Were the Characteristics of Jobs Obtained by Enrollees?
      1. What Kinds of Jobs Did Enrollees Obtain?
      2. How Many Hours per Week Did Enrollees Work?
      3. How Well Were Enrollees Compensated for Their Labor?
   3. Did Enrollees Move from Their Initial Jobs to Better Jobs?
      1. Did Employed Enrollees Commonly Leave Their Jobs?
      2. Did Job Changers Advance to Better Jobs?
5. How Were WtW Enrollees Faring One Year after Entering the Program?
   1. What Assistance Did Enrollees Receive to Make Ends Meet?
      1. Did Enrollees Receive Assistance from Family/friends and Community Organizations?
      2. Did Enrollees Receive Assistance from Government Programs?
      3. Did Enrollees Achieve Independence from TANF Through Employment?
   2. How Much Income Did Enrollees Receive and Was it Adequate?
      1. What Were the Amounts and Sources of Household Income for Enrollees?
      2. Did Enrollees Escape Poverty?
      3. Did Enrollees Experience Material Distress?
   3. Did Employed Enrollees Have Higher Incomes?
   4. What Specific Hardships Did Enrollees Experience?
      1. Did Enrollees Experience Homelessness?
      2. Did Enrollees or Their Children Lack Health Insurance?
6. Conclusions
   1. WtW Enrollees Received Services That Differed Greatly Across Sites
   2. Most Enrollees Obtained Jobs, but Pay Was Low and Rates of Job Loss Were High
   3. Despite Employment Gains, Most Enrollees Were Poor and Dependent on Assistance One Year after Entering WtW

References

Appendices

• Appendix A: Supporting Exhibits for Chapter II: Characteristics of Welfare-to-work Enrollees at Program Entry
• Appendix B: Supporting Exhibits for Chapters III - V: Participant Outcomes

The following are available on the MPR website, www.mathematica-mpr.com:

• Appendix C: Sample Intake, Data Collection, and Statistical Methods
• Appendix D: Standard Errors for Estimates of Participant Characteristics Presented in Chapter II and Appendix A
• Appendix E: Standard Errors for Estimates of Participant Outcomes Presented in Appendix B

Exhibit

• I.1 Study Sites for the Analysis of Welfare-to-work Enrollee Outcomes
• II.1 Demographic Characteristics of Welfare-to-work Enrollees at Program Entry
• II.2 Labor Market Assets and Liabilities of Welfare-to-work Enrollees at Program Entry
• II.3 History of TANF Receipt by WtW Enrollees at Program Entry
• II.4 Cumulative Years of TANF Receipt by WtW Enrollees at Program Entry
• II.5 Rate of Employment of WtW Enrollees at Program Entry
• II.6 Rates of Employment of WtW Enrollees in the Four Quarters Prior to the Quarter of Program Entry
• II.7 Trends in Employment Rates for WtW Enrollees in the Four Quarters Prior To the Quarter of Program Entry
• II.8 Median Annual Earnings of WtW Enrollees in the Four Quarters Prior to The Quarter of Program Entry
• III.1 Percentage of WtW Enrollees Who Received Any Employment Preparation Services During the Year after Program Entry
• III.2 Percentages of WtW Enrollees Who Received Specific Types of Employment Preparation Services During the Year after Program Entry
• III.3 Duration of Employment Preparation Services Received by WtW Enrollees During the Year after Program Entry
• III.4 Percentage of WtW Enrollees Who Received Any Skill Enhancement Services (Education and Training) During the Year after Program Entry
• III.5 Percentages of WtW Enrollees Who Received Specific Types of Skill Enhancement Services During the Year after Program Entry
• III.6 Duration and Intensity of Skill Enhancement Services Received by WtW Enrollees During the Year after Program Entry
• III.7 Percentages of WtW Enrollees for Whom the Receipt of Skill Enhancement Services Commenced on or Following Initial Employment
• III.8 Cross-classification of WtW Programs by Enrollee Reports and by Administrator and Staff Reports
• IV.1 Percentage of WtW Enrollees Who Were Employed Sometime During the Year After Program Entry
• IV.2 Mean Number of Months until WtW Enrollees' First Job after Program Entry
• IV.3 Mean Percentage of Time with a Job by WtW Enrollees During the Year After Program Entry
• IV.4 Employment Status of WtW Enrollees at the Time of Program Entry and One Year Later
• IV.5 Hours of Work by WtW Enrollees on All Jobs Held One Year after Program Entry, Assessed Relative to the TANF Work Requirement
• IV.6 Hours of Work and Wage Rate on the Principal Job Held by WtW Enrollees One Year after Program Entry
• IV.7 Percentages of WtW Enrollees with Fringe Benefits on the Principal Job Held One Year after Program Entry
• IV.8 Rate of Departure by WtW Enrollees from the Initial Job Held after Program Entry
• IV.9 Circumstances of Departure by WtW Enrollees from the Initial Job Held After Program Entry
• IV.10 Job Advancement During the Year after Program Entry: Percentage of Employed Enrollees Who Participated in Employer's Health Insurance Plan
• IV.11 Job Advancement During the Year after Program Entry
• V.1 Percentage of WtW Enrollees Who Received Assistance from Support Networks During the Year after Program Entry
• V.2 Percentage of WtW Enrollees Who Were Receiving Assistance from Government Programs One Year after Program Entry
• V.3 Percentages of WtW Enrollees Who Were Receiving TANF at the Time of Program Entry and One Year Later
• V.4 Employment and Receipt of TANF by WtW Enrollees One Year after Program Entry
• V.5 Mean Monthly Household Income of WtW Enrollees, by Source, One Year after Program Entry
• V.6 Incidence of Household Poverty among WtW Enrollees One Year after Program Entry
• V.7 Mean Value of Index of Material Distress Experienced by WtW Enrollees And Their Households During the Year after Program Entry
• V.8 Incidence of Household Poverty among WtW Enrollees, by Employment Status, One Year after Program Entry
• V.9 Percentages of WtW Enrollees Who Experienced Two Forms of Homelessness During the Year after Program Entry
• V.10 Percentages of WtW Enrollees and Their Children Who Were Covered by Health Insurance One Year after Program Entry

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National Evaluation of the Welfare-to-Work Grants Program
Human Services Policy (HSP)
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Last updated:  03/24/04