This Urban Institute brief examines the experiences of clients applying for work supports, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Medicaid, and child care assistance. Applying for these benefits can be a daunting process…

Many states have recently passed “ban the box” laws, which prevent employers from asking job applicants whether they have a criminal record. This article from The Pew Charitable Trusts examines several recent studies that show that these laws may be…

This practice brief introduces the Tribal HPOG 2.0 evaluation, provides a summary of the findings of the Tribal HPOG 1.0 evaluation, and examines how the evaluation of the first program informed the second. The Tribal HPOG 2.0 program encourages…

This Brookings Institution report provides an in-depth analysis of 24 million working-age adults who were not in the labor force in 2016. The researchers examined the reasons why these adults were not working, who they were living with, and how they…

When TANF became law in 1996, welfare recipients were required to engage in work participation activities, and states were required to have 50 percent of their TANF cases meet these participation requirements. The intention of requiring individuals…

This article attempts to answer whether moving into poor quality employment (i.e., low security, low wages, low autonomy) is better for one’s physical and mental health than staying unemployed. Researchers examined employment outcomes and health…

This toolkit from Workforce GPS provides ideas, strategies, and resources for integrating service delivery in the public workforce system under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). This toolkit provides workforce partners across…

Post-employment services that align with individual’s interests, strengths, and abilities are necessary to ensure they can maintain or advance in employment. Unfortunately, many TANF participants tend to obtain low-skill/low-wage jobs with little…

Community colleges have the potential to provide low-cost, high-quality training to students if they partner with local business and industry leaders. This toolkit from the Brookings Institution provides practical strategies for community colleges…