This report summarizes the key issues and lessons learned at the joint ACF and SAMHSA national conference, Welfare Reform: Employment Strategies for Overcoming Substance Abuse/Mental Health Barriers, held in Reno, Nevada, on July 26-27,…

This MDRC report describes the results of the Los Angeles program’s notable transformation from an earlier one focused heavily on remedial education into one that stresses rapid job placement and indicates that the changes have largely paid off.…

A National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) publication entitled "Broke But Not Deadbeat: Reconnecting Low-Income Fathers and Children" addresses the circumstances faced by low-income fathers who are not able to meet their required child…

The enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act in 1996 signaled a dramatic shift in the nation’s approach to providing assistance to those among the country’s neediest populations. The concept of welfare in the United…

The PESD evaluation had three main objectives: (1) to better understand and characterize the experiences of individuals after they become employed and to examine the factors contributing to job loss or job stability, (2) to examine the…

Considerable interest exists among state and local welfare departments, workforce investment agencies, community colleges, and other nonprofit community-based service providers to find ways to promote job retention and advancement among employed…

One of the most important themes of today’s welfare debate is the goal of moving mothers from welfare to work. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) includes strong incentives for state agencies to…

Now more than ever, the path to self-sufficiency for most welfare recipients involves finding and keeping a job. The recently enacted welfare law, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996, emphasizes…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment in the American economy spiked to 20 million in mid-2020. While it dropped to 5.7 million in December 2022, the labor market is still in flux, and jobs in some fields remain unfilled. In response, higher…