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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Paths to work in rural places: Key findings and lessons from the impact evaluation of the Future Steps Rural Welfare-to-Work Program (Meckstroth et al., 2006)

  • Findings

    See findings section of this profile.

    Evidence Rating

    Not Rated

Review Guidelines

Implementation Guidelines

Absence of conflict of interest. 

Citation

Meckstroth, A., Burwick, A., Ponza, M., Marsh, S., Novak, T., Phillips, S., ... & Ng, J. (2006). Paths to work in rural places: Key findings and lessons from the impact evaluation of the Future Steps Rural Welfare-to-Work Program. Mathematica Policy Research. URL: https://mathematica.org/publications/paths-to-work-in-rural-places-key-findings-and-lessons-from-the-impact-evaluation-of-the-future-steps-rural-welfaretowork-program.

Highlights

  • The study’s objective was to examine the implementation of the Illinois Future Steps which provides individualized case management and support for low-income adults in rural areas seeking employment.  
  • The study authors conducted an implementation evaluation using administrative data describing service use, and data drawn from site visits, interviews, and focus groups with staff and participants.  
  • The study found that the program was largely implemented as designed, though engagement was limited among some participants and planned vocational training never materialized.  
  • The authors provided a limited amount of information regarding their analytic methods in the implementation study such that this review cannot speak definitively on the strength of methods or soundness of findings.   
  • The embedded impact study was reviewed by CLEAR in September, 2016. 

Intervention Examined

Illinois Future Steps

Features of the Intervention

  • Type of organization: State Department of Human Services 
  • Location/setting: Multi-site in Illinois 
  • Population served and scale: TANF and SNAP customers; 313 participants 
  • Industry focus: Not included 
  • Intervention activities: Individualized job search and placement support and post-employment support; supportive funding 
  • Organizational partnerships: A community college 
  • Cost: $2,901 per participant 
  • Fidelity: Not included 

The Illinois First Step program ran from 2001 to 2003 and served low-income adults living in five rural counties in southern Illinois who were seeking employment or willing to be employed. TANF customers and SNAP recipients were included, and people could volunteer to participate without receiving either benefit. The majority of participants were between the ages of 20 and 40 and three quarters of the sample were women, with about half being Black and half being white. Almost all participants spoke English as their primary language. Most participants came from single-parent homes with children under 18 and earned less than $10,000 per year. First Step was organized by the state’s Department of Human Services and the program was operated and staffed by Shawnee Community College. The program offered case management, individualized support, and external referrals for participants. Case managers assisted participants with job searches, applications, placement, and job retention. Participants were also eligible to receive modest levels of supportive funding (typically less than $500).    

Features of the Study

The researchers employed quantitative and qualitative data from a number of sources including administrative data describing service use, and data from site visits, interviews, and focus groups with staff and participants. The researchers did not provide information regarding their analytic approach to the implementation study, excluding the cost study. The implementation study included all five sites participating in the program and considered the experiences of all 313 participants. Transportation was cited as a leading barrier to employment for many participants at intake and throughout the study.  

Study Sites

  • Union  
  • Johnson 
  • Alexander 
  • Pulaski 
  • Massac 

Findings

Intervention activities/services

  • The study found that participants in the program received the following from program staff: job search and job placement assistance; referrals to other services including childcare, training, and counseling; receipt of additional supportive funding (up to $1,200 for TANF customers and up to $500 for others); mentoring to develop a plan for sustained and successful employment; and ongoing support post-employment including support mediating disputes with employers. 
  • The study found that the program was operating as intended, with the exception being the lack of vocational training provided as designed. Many participants received referrals and about 70% received funding. The average total duration of engagement with the program was 10.6 hours and almost all participants had at least one contact with the program.  

Implementation challenges and solutions 

  • The study found that limited funding and institutional focus on the program on the part of the community college contractor, especially during the second year of the program, weakened service delivery. There was also staff turnover in Year 2 that harmed service delivery. The authors did not discuss solutions to these challenges.  

Cost/ROI 

  • The study found that the program cost $2,901 to implement per participant. 

Considerations for Interpreting the Findings

The authors did not provide detailed information about the data collection or analytic methods for the implementation part of the study.  

Reviewed by CLEAR

May 2023

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