TY - JOUR
T1 - Experimental evidence of a work support strategy that is effective for at-risk families
T2 - The building Nebraska families program
AU - Meckstroth, Alicia
AU - Moore, Quinn
AU - Burwick, Andrew
AU - Heflin, Colleen
AU - Ponza, Michael
AU - McCay, Jonathan
N1 - Funding Information:
The evaluation of the BNF program was conducted as part of the Rural Welfare-to-Work Strategies Demonstration Evaluation, sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. The authors are also grateful for the support of the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation related to the development of this article. We also thank the many Mathematica staff who played important roles in the completion of the study, in particular Shawn Marsh, Andrew McGuirk, Tim Novak, and Zhanyun Zhao. Special thanks to Marilyn Fox, the BNF program director and curriculum developer, and her staff of BNF educators from the University of Nebraska?Lincoln Cooperative Extension, who shared information and insights with us during the study period. Similar thanks are extended to administrators and staff from the Nebraska Health and Human Services System, most notably Dennis Ellis and Marv Kanne. We also extend a profound thank-you to members of the research sample, the great majority of whom took the time to respond to the evaluation?s surveys and, in some cases, also participated in focus groups. Please note that the views expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the US Department of Health and Human Services or any of the other acknowledged individuals.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/9/1
Y1 - 2019/9/1
N2 - This article examines the effects of an intensive life skills education and home visiting program, Building Nebraska Families (BNF), on the employment, earnings, and personal and family well-being of work-mandatory cash welfare recipients. Based on a randomized controlled trial, the analysis used survey and administrative data for more than 600 hard-to-employ Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients across 11 sites in Nebraska. Statistically significant, robust effects were observed on the employment, earnings, and various measures of personal and family well-being for a subgroup of more disadvantaged, very hard-to-employ TANF recipients. The magnitude of the effects grew over time and was most pronounced during the last 6 months of the 30-month follow-up period. Overall, the findings suggest that BNF’s approach, with its focus on developing life skills and improving personal and family functioning, can be an effective strategy for improving the employability and self-sufficiency of the most at-risk TANF recipients.
AB - This article examines the effects of an intensive life skills education and home visiting program, Building Nebraska Families (BNF), on the employment, earnings, and personal and family well-being of work-mandatory cash welfare recipients. Based on a randomized controlled trial, the analysis used survey and administrative data for more than 600 hard-to-employ Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients across 11 sites in Nebraska. Statistically significant, robust effects were observed on the employment, earnings, and various measures of personal and family well-being for a subgroup of more disadvantaged, very hard-to-employ TANF recipients. The magnitude of the effects grew over time and was most pronounced during the last 6 months of the 30-month follow-up period. Overall, the findings suggest that BNF’s approach, with its focus on developing life skills and improving personal and family functioning, can be an effective strategy for improving the employability and self-sufficiency of the most at-risk TANF recipients.
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U2 - 10.1086/705351
DO - 10.1086/705351
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85074150008
SN - 0037-7961
VL - 93
SP - 389
EP - 428
JO - Social Service Review
JF - Social Service Review
IS - 3
ER -