March 2008
DHHS, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement
One of three case studies from The Lewin Group’s evaluation of two federally-funded employability programs serving refugees resettled in the U.S., this report presents findings from interviews with service providers, focus groups with program participants, and analysis of administrative, programmatic, and survey data on refugees served in Sacramento, California. The study focused on refugees who entered the country between 2000 and 2004 and received RSS or TAG services at some point in Sacramento, including primarily refugees from countries in the former Soviet Union and Hmong arriving in 2004. Themes emerging from this case study include Sacramento’s strong emphasis on English language training as a component of employability services; the use of on-the-job training by several service providers as a tool for moving refugees into permanent employment; and the importance of the welfare system in understanding the context in which the refugee employability programs operate. The report also presents employment, income, and public assistance outcomes of service recipients.
Client Area: Federal Government
Expertise Area: Employment, Training, and Workforce Development, Income Security
March 2008
DHHS, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement
One of three case studies from The Lewin Group’s evaluation of two federally-funded employability programs serving refugees resettled in the U.S., this report presents findings from interviews with service providers, focus groups with program participants, and analysis of administrative, programmatic, and survey data on refugees served in Miami, Florida. The study focused on refugees, asylees, and related populations who entered the country between 2000 and 2004 and received RSS or TAG services at some point in Miami, including primarily Cubans, Colombians, and Haitians. Themes emerging from this case study include the role of Miami’s extensive network of experienced service providers and community support for arrivals; the strong focus on employment in refugee services; the relatively high education level of refugees served in Miami; the importance of bi-lingual Spanish and English skills; and special challenges facing the Haitian population The report also presents employment, income, and public assistance outcomes of service recipients.
Client Area: Federal Government
Expertise Area: Employment, Training, and Workforce Development, Income Security
March 2008
DHHS, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement
One of three case studies from The Lewin Group’s evaluation of two federally-funded employability programs serving refugees resettled in the U.S., this report presents findings from interviews with service providers, focus groups with program participants, and analysis of administrative, programmatic, and survey data on refugees served in Houston, Texas. The study focused on refugees who entered the country between 2000 and 2004 and received RSS or TAG services at some point in Houston, which settled a large, diverse, and frequently changing refugee population. Themes emerging from this case study include Houston’s emphasis on rapid employment, driven in part by the relatively low TANF benefits offered in the state, the necessity of understanding newly arriving refugees’ cultural experiences when providing services to a changing population, and the special challenges facing refugees from Somalia and Liberia, who arrived with very low educational attainment. The report also presents employment, income, and public assistance outcomes of service recipients.
Client Area: Federal Government
Expertise Area: Employment, Training, and Workforce Development, Income Security
March 2008
DHHS, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement
This report summarizes findings from The Lewin Group’s evaluation of the Refugee Social Service (RSS) and Targeted Assistance Formula Grant (TAG) programs. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) administers these programs and sponsored an evaluation to assess how program services are delivered and how refugees who receive them fare over time. RSS and TAG services aim at helping refugees overcome barriers to employment and integration into the United States. The study focuses on refugees in three sites—Houston, Miami, and Sacramento—who entered the country between 2000 and 2004. It relies on administrative and programmatic data, a survey of refugees, and information collected through interviews with service providers and focus groups with program participants. The study documents differences across the sites with regard to which refugee groups they served, the approaches taken for delivering services, and the emphasis placed on ESL instruction versus rapid employment. The report also presents employment, income, and public assistance outcomes of service recipients.
Client Area: Federal Government
Expertise Area: Employment, Training, and Workforce Development, Income Security
December 2007
Colorado Department of Human Services
Federal TANF funds can be used for a range of cash and non-cash services to needy low-income families with children, including cash benefits, employment services, child care, and other support services, and services intended to prevent families from requiring monthly cash benefits. In Colorado, the federal TANF block grant and the related supplemental funds are used, along with state and county funds, to operate the Colorado Works program. This report describes the general trends in Colorado Works spending between 2000 and 2006 as well as county expenditures of Colorado Works funds, including basic cash assistance, non-cash assistance, and reserve amounts.
Client Area: State and Local Governments
Expertise Area: Income Security
December 2007
Colorado Department of Human Services
The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) reauthorized the TANF program and made policy changes that increased the effective work participation rates that states must meet to avoid a financial penalty. In Colorado, counties have been reassessing strategies to meet federal requirements while still providing services and benefits to clients that best help them to meet their immediate needs and overcome barriers to longer-term self-sufficiency. This report examines three related topics affecting participation and engagement in Colorado’s TANF program. They are: (1) Work participation activities and strategies; (2) Diversion policies among Colorado’s counties; and (3) Sanctioning practices in Colorado.
Client Area: State and Local Governments
Expertise Area: Employment, Training, and Workforce Development, Income Security
October 2007
Colorado Department of Human Services
This report summarizes the findings from the past year’s work on the Colorado Works Program Evaluation. It presents and updates longitudinal data analysis of the TANF receipt and employment outcomes among welfare recipients. It also analyzes client interactions with other social service agencies including child support services and child care services. It also summarizes special topic reports examining program participation and fiscal trends, which were conducted throughout the year.
Client Area: State and Local Governments
Expertise Area: Income Security
September 2007
Colorado Department of Human Services
This report presents findings from focus groups that were conducted with 78 current and past TANF recipients in four Colorado counties. The focus groups provide the clients’ perspective about their experiences on welfare and how participation in various services may have contributed to their long-term self-sufficiency. The report focuses on seven key topic areas: (1) Reasons for TANF application, (2) Application and eligibility determination process, (3) Views on diversion, (4) Views on services provided by staff, (5) Views on services received through TANF offices and Workforce Centers, (6) Work participation requirements and time limits, and (7) Long-term self-sufficiency.
Client Area: State and Local Governments
Expertise Area: Income Security
August 2007
Colorado Department of Human Services
The purpose of this study is to examine Colorado employers’ experiences with welfare recipients they have hired for low-skill, entry-level jobs. The research gathers information on the characteristics of employers and the low-skill workforce, employer hiring practices, staffing needs, overall employer satisfaction, and employer feedback on county Colorado Works offices and workforce centers operated under local Workforce Investment Boards. The survey provides information about the extent to which the Colorado Works program and the clients are able to meet employer needs.
Client Area: State and Local Governments
Expertise Area: Employment, Training, and Workforce Development, Income Security
July 2007
National Council of Child Support Directors
For the National Council of Child Support Directors, The Lewin Group and its subcontractor, EcoNorthwest, explored the potential implications of changes to federal financing of child support enforcement programs contained in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA). The project involved two tasks the first being Data Analysis. Using child support administrative data and economic and demographic information from the Census Bureau and other sources, the project team explored the potential effects of the DRA provision on use of incentives for state match on state performance in two areas: support order establishment and collections made on current support due.The second task was a survey of IV-D Directors. The project team had conversations with 28 state CSE directors about a number of DRA provisions, including the treatment of incentives for match purposes, adoption of (or increase in) the pass-through of collections to current assistance cases, and the mandatory fee for non-assistance cases that generate $500 or more in collections per year. The directors described the extent to which they expect to make up the funding shortfalls and the potential implications of any loss in funding.
Client Area: Associations
Expertise Area: Income Security
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