Testing Case Management in a Rural Context: An Impact Analysis of the Illinois Future Steps Program. Findings from the Rural Welfare-to-Work Strategies Demonstration Evaluation. Final Report

摘要

The Rural Welfare-to-Work Strategies Demonstration Evaluation used random assignment experiments to assess the effectiveness of innovative strategies to help the rural poor find and sustain employment and move toward self-sufficiency. This final report presents 30-month impact analysis findings for the Illinois Future Steps program, an employment-focused case management program in rural, southern Illinois. Future Steps provided intensive job search and placement assistance, skill-building and support services, and postemployment assistance. The program targeted Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients, food stamp recipients, and other low-income people and was designed to prepare them for work and help them become and remain employed, particularly in jobs with desirable characteristics such as high wages and benefits. By teaming the welfare agency with a regional community college, Future Steps aimed to connect people with services and employment opportunities in rural, southern Illinois.