Research and Evaluation: Completed Projects

To learn more about ISED’s completed research and evaluation projects, select a subject area: 

 

ASSET DEVELOPMENT

IDA Collaboration Research Assessment (2007)

ISED conducted a research assessment of the GAIN$ Individual Development Account (IDA) collaboration in Flint, Michigan.  The purpose of the assessment was to examine the current operating procedures of the project and make recommendations to strengthen the program.  ISED’s research was recently featured in the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation’s newsletter Mott Mosaic.

For more information contact Jan Losby. 

Workplace-Based IDA Initiative (2003-2005) 

ISED evaluated a demonstration project operated by the United Way of America to assist employers and unions to encourage and facilitate the development of workforce-related IDAs in 16 cities across the United States.  ISED conducted site visits, program staff interviews, discussions with participants, and employer interviews.  The initiative was funded by the Office of Community Services, ACF, DHHS.

For more information contact Jan Losby. 

Michigan IDA Partnership: Annual Program Evaluation (2001-2004)

ISED Solutions conducted a three-year evaluation of the Michigan IDA Partnership (MIDAP) Individual Development Account (IDA) program. MIDAP is a public/private partnership between the Michigan Family Independence Agency and the Council of Michigan Foundations.

IDAs are matched savings accounts designed to help low-income and low-wealth families accumulate a few thousand dollars for high-return investments in education or job training, home ownership, or small business start-up or expansion.

The evaluation had three components: (1) a process study that will describe and assess the program design, structure, and processes; (2) a description of participants, their savings patterns, and their use of program services; and (3) an analysis of participant outcomes, using data obtained through both the MIS and telephone interviews with participants.

For more information contact Jan Losby.

Publications: 

Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 MIDAP Report (link forthcoming)

 

CHILD WELFARE

Assessment of Developmental Delays in Children Receiving Child Welfare Services (2005-2007)

In 2003, the Federal government amended the Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA) to require that infants and toddlers who are substantiated for child maltreatment be referred to early intervention services provided under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Little is known about the true extent of developmental problems of children substantiated for abuse or neglect, and those children subsequently removed from parental custody and placed in an alternative living environment.  This dearth of information is in part due to the inconsistencies in child welfare practice across jurisdictions; variability in state and jurisdictional eligibility criteria for infants and toddlers for Part C services; differential policies, procedures, and practice competencies of public child welfare workers; and the differential availability of resources to serve children once identified.  Further complicating the issue is the requirement under Part C that states must provide services to children who meet the state criterion for eligibility, but states may also choose to serve children who are “at risk of having substantial developmental delays if early intervention services are not provided.”  Only five states (CA, HI, MA, NM, & WV) currently serve such at risk children.

National estimates of the extent and type of need for early intervention services for maltreated infants and toddlers are lacking.  The purpose of this study was to provide such information.  The overarching question guiding the analysis was:  What are the developmental problems among children receiving Child Welfare Services that suggest a need for Part C early intervention services?  To provide information about the developmental status and early intervention service needs of children under age three who are substantiated for maltreatment an analysis of the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study (NEILS) and the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) was conducted.

For this project, ISED Solutions coordinated a team of researchers from:
School of Social Work, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
School of Social Work, University of Maryland
ZERO TO THREE, Washington, DC

For more information contact Jan Losby. 

Related publications:

Research Brief (link forthcoming)

Full Report (link forthcoming)

State Foster Care Assessments

From 1989-1995, ISED Solutions conducted studies of the foster care systems of three states: Colorado, Hawaii, and Iowa.  The studies involved both quantitative and qualitative dimensions and resulted in recommendations to the public child welfare agencies of each state regarding redesign of their foster care systems.  The projects helped the states develop levels-of-care systems, assess the appropriateness of placement decisions, agree on performance measures, and develop new payment systems.   

For more information contact Jan Losby.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Evaluation of the Learn-to-Earn Post-Release Project—An Ex-Offenders project (2009-2010) (Current Project)

Prisoner Re-Entry Project in Georgia (2007-2008)

The Learn to Earn Project serves prisoners who struggle with mental health, substance abuse, and/or learning disabilities.  This population often faces significant barriers to overcoming poverty and realizing competitive employment opportunities.  This project delivers microenterprise education and supports to help prisoners develop successful business plans and resources for self-employment to facilitate their movement out of crime and poverty and decrease their probabilities of recidivism.  The specific goals of this project were: (1) enhance the economic literacy, business training, self-esteem, and personal behavior appropriate to the workplace of eligible project participants; and (2) provide ongoing supports for positive social skills, review business plans, marketing techniques, and create linkages to existing self-employment services and supports in the community.

ISED conducted a process and outcome study.  ISED subcontracted with the Cobb and Douglas County Community Services Board (Georgia) and funding is from the U.S. Department of Education.

For more information contact Jan Losby.

Related publication:

Outcome report (link forthcoming)

Drug Court in Blank Hawk County, Iowa (2005-2007)

Drug courts provide an alternative to incarceration for individuals whose criminal offending is linked to drug use and addiction. The program is intended to help these individuals address their drug addictions and stop committing crimes. These community-based programs have become widespread, beginning with a single program in Miami, Florida in 1989.  Now there are over 1,500 drug court programs in the U.S.

A drug court handles cases involving substance-abusing offenders through comprehensive supervision, drug testing, treatment services and immediate sanctions and incentives.  Black Hawk County (Waterloo, Iowa) began operating its drug court during the fall of 2005, and ISED conducted the process and outcome evaluations.

For more information contact Maria Hein. 

Related publications:

Executive Summary (link forthcoming)

Full Report (link forthcoming)

Hein, M.  Black Hawk County Drug Court:  An Evaluation of the First Two Years.  Washington, D.C.: ISED Solutions (2008). (link forthcoming)

Drug Court in Douglas County, Omaha (1999-2006)

ISED Solutions has provided evaluation services to the Douglas County Drug Court in Omaha, Nebraska since 1999.  Over the past seven years we have worked closely with drug court staff in conducting a variety of process, outcome, and cost-benefit analyses.  Our research is unique in that it regularly features the elicitation of client feedback.  Findings from our evaluations inform drug court staff, the district court, state criminal justice officials, and community stakeholders regarding the effectiveness of the drug court program and ways in which it may be improved. 

ISED Solutions evaluations for drug courts analyze program processes such as client assessment, treatment, drug screening/testing, and sanctioning for noncompliance and new criminal offenses.  We analyze client outcomes such as treatment completion, drug use, and recidivism.  Our cost benefit-analysis calculates cost savings attributable to the drug court program, as compared with traditional adjudication and sentencing.

ISED Solutions evaluation findings play a prominent role in drug courts dissemination of information to court, criminal justice agency, treatment provider, and community stakeholders. 

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Related publications:

Report (link forthcoming)

Drug Court in Nebraska (2001-2004)

ISED Solutions conducted an outcome evaluation for the Lancaster County (Lincoln, NE) Adult Drug Court.  The evaluation tracked a number of outcomes, such as the drug court completion rate, drug use patterns, substance abuse treatment outcomes, and criminal recidivism.

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Related publication:

Hein.  (2005).  Lancaster County Adult Drug Court:  An Evaluation of the First Three Years.  ISED Solutions: Washington, D.C. (link forthcoming)

Evaluation of the Mental Health Re-Entry Programs in Iowa (2002-2007)

The mental health re-entry programs are designed to provide offenders with mental illnesses the support they need to transition back into the community upon their release from prison.  The mental health re-entry programs operate in two judicial districts in Iowa.

ISED Solutions conducted a process and an outcome evaluation of the three mental health re-entry programs.  The evaluation included focus groups with program participants, an analysis of outcomes for program participants, and a comparison of program participants with offenders with mental illnesses who do not participate in a mental health re-entry program.

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Publications:

Hein, M.  Iowa’s Mental Health Re-entry Programs:  An Overview of the Achievements and Lessons Learned.  Washington, D.C.: ISED Solutions (2008). (link forthcoming)

Hein, M.  An Evaluation of Three Transitional Mental Health Re-entry Programs in Iowa:  Fifth Annual Evaluation Report.  Washington, D.C.: ISED Solutions (2008). (link forthcoming)

 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & MICROENTERPRISE

Mountain BizWorks Business Development Services for People with Limited Income (Current Project)

Related publication:

Hein, M.  Year 2 Evaluation of Mountain BizWorks’ Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) Program.  Washington, D.C.: ISED Solutions (2008). (link forthcoming)

Prisoner Re-Entry Project in Georgia (2007-2008)

The Learn to Earn Project serves prisoners who struggle with mental health, substance abuse, and/or learning disabilities.  This population often faces significant barriers to overcoming poverty and realizing competitive employment opportunities.  This project delivers microenterprise education and supports to help prisoners develop successful business plans and resources for self-employment to facilitate their movement out of crime and poverty and decrease their probabilities of recidivism.  The specific goals of this project were: (1) enhance the economic literacy, business training, self-esteem, and personal behavior appropriate to the workplace of eligible project participants; and (2) provide ongoing supports for positive social skills, review business plans, marketing techniques, and create linkages to existing self-employment services and supports in the community.

ISED conducted a process and outcome study.  ISED subcontracted with the Cobb and Douglas County Community Services Board (Georgia) and funding is from the U.S. Department of Education.

For more information contact Jan Losby. 

Related publication:

Outcome report (link forthcoming)

Evaluation of the Lynn Alley Public Market Project (2004-2006)

The Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI) and Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District (SID) operate the Lynn Alley Market, which provides low- to moderate-income retailers access to larger markets for their services and products in Columbus, Ohio, along with hands-on technical assistance to help them make their businesses more successful.  ISED conducted the process and outcome evaluations, which included a survey of market retailers.

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Related publications:

Hein, M.  Year 2 Evaluation for the Economic Community Development Institute (ECDI) Lynn Alley Public Market Project.  Washington, D.C.: ISED Solutions (2006). (link forthcoming)

Informal Economy Project (2002-2003)

Some people engage in legal but informal work in a system of cash-only exchanges. These individuals are operating unregistered businesses or engaging in under-the-table work often called "informal work" or referred to as "the informal economy."

ISED Solutions examined the informal economy and its intersection with microenterprise in the United States. This qualitative research examined the attitudes and behaviors of informal workers and explores the aspects of working informally that are appealing and may keep people from taking steps to formalize their enterprises. Qualitative research was conducted in Chicago, Illinois and Baltimore, Maryland.

For more information contact Jan Losby.

Related publications:

Informal Economy Literature Review

The Informal Economy: Experiences of African Americans - This report written by ISED Solutions focuses on the attitudes and experiences of 55 African Americans who either operate their own informal business or work informally in Chicago and Baltimore. The publication explores the reasons people participate in the informal economy, the pros and cons of doing so and the implications for microenterprise programs interested in reaching them.

The Informal Economy: Latino Enterprises at the Margins - Written by FIELD (the Microenterprise Fund for Innovation, Effectiveness, Learning and Dissemination), this report summarizes and reflects on the experiences of 38 informal, Latino businesspeople - both documented and undocumented - working in Central New Jersey or New York. This report also looks at ways policies and microenterprise development programs could be changed to encourage growth among Latino informal businesses.

 

FAMILY INTERVENTION

Counseling Center of Lakeview (2001-2006)

It has long been recognized that homeless youth are in need of a variety of support services to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, basic medical care, and education.  More recently, it has been recognized that many homeless youth are in need of mental health services, due to the high incidence of violence, abuse, and trauma throughout the homeless youth population.  The Counseling Center in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago engaged ISED Solutions in 2001 as their evaluator of a new SAMHSA grant.  The purpose of this grant was to form a community collaboration that would design a pilot mental health program to engage homeless youth in mental health services in non-traditional ways.  Since the end of the two-year SAMHSA grant, CCLV has continued to engage ISED Solutions in the evaluation of the homeless youth mental health program or “Youth in Transition” (YIT) project.

As CCLV’s evaluator, ISED Solutions has conducted program planning and implementation studies as well as youth client outcome studies.  Youth outcomes analyzed have included engagement in treatment activities, changes in mental health assessment scores, and community services accessed.

ISED Solutions reports have been disseminated to CCLV staff and managers, federal grant managers, the Chicago Community Trust, which is funding the YIT project, and community stakeholders.

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Iowa’s Family Development and Self-Sufficiency Program (1991-2000)

ISED conducted three evaluations of Iowa’s Family Development and Self-Sufficiency (FaDSS) Program, a family support program operated by ten Iowa social service agencies and targeted toward long-term welfare recipients and families at risk of being long-term recipients.  Services include assessment, goal setting, case management, home visits, and group activities.

The purpose of the original study (1991-1993) was to determine both the intermediate impact and the long-term outcomes of this intensive, in-home intervention.  The experimental design study involved analysis of data collected from DHS administrative files and in-home or telephone interviews with 200 treatment group and 150 control group families who had been recruited during 1989-91. 

A continuation study was conducted to (1) determine whether FaDSS had a positive impact on the intermediate and longer-term outcomes of participating families, (2) identify programmatic and family factors associated with better outcomes, and (3) evaluate the cost effectiveness of the program.  We collected and analyzed data comparing the outcomes of families who participated in FaDSS (treatment group) with those of families who did not participate in the program (control group) seven years after assignment to the program. 

The Extended Impact Study compared 1,700 early FaDSS treatment and control group families on the basis of the following outcomes:  FIP (welfare), Food Stamps, Medicaid, LIHEAP (energy assistance), and JOBS program (education and training) utilization; child welfare system utilization; and child care utilization.  The analysis assessed whether FaDSS program participation results in net benefits to the State of Iowa, the Federal government, and program participants. 

For more information contact Jan Losby. 

Publications:   

Evaluation of Iowa’s FaDSS Program:  A Family Support for Long-Term Welfare Recipients Executive Summary (link forthcoming)

Iowa Family Development and Self-Sufficiency Continuation Study:  Executive Summary (link forthcoming)

Iowa Family Development and Self-Sufficiency Continuation Study:  Extended Impact Executive Summary (link forthcoming)

Omaha Domestic Violence Study (1999-2003)

ISED Solutions evaluated the implementation and impact of Omaha, Nebraska’s coordinated response to domestic violence, which was initiated by the City in January of 1996.  The coordinated response in its most comprehensive sense is a working partnership among a broad array of Omaha community agencies and organizations that address criminal justice, crime victim, human services, medical, religious, and academic concerns. 

Phase I of the evaluation consisted of a process study and a data study.  The purpose of the evaluation was twofold.  First, it documented and analyzed the implementation of the coordinated response.  Second, it provided recommendations for improving the coordinated response, assuring quality control of domestic violence case processes, and conducting future evaluation.

The goal of Phase II of the evaluation is to build on the Phase I research findings and foster the implementation of Phase I recommendations.  The second phase consists of two research activities.  First, an outcome study was conducted to identify predictors or “high-risk” indicators of domestic violence that leads to serious injury or loss of life.  Second, ISED Solutions assisted the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council and the agencies of the coordinated response in improving measures of the local incidence of domestic violence, improving measures of the performance of the coordinated response, and producing statistical snapshots that inform performance management and quality control for the coordinated response.

For more information contact Jan Losby.

Comprehensive Child Development Program (1989–1995)

This was an ethnographic study of the Comprehensive Child Development Program operated by Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA).  This project was one of 24 projects in a six-year, national demonstration designed to enhance the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of children from low-income families. 

ISED Solutions used interviews, observations, and analyses of news reports and written materials to document the interactions of community agencies, program processes, and the views of families, staff, and community members. 

For more information contact Jan Losby.

 

MENTAL HEALTH

Bethany project information (current project)

System of Care for Youth in Transition (current project)

Counseling Center of Lakeview (2001-2006)

It has long been recognized that homeless youth are in need of a variety of support services to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, basic medical care, and education.  More recently, it has been recognized that many homeless youth are in need of mental health services, due to the high incidence of violence, abuse, and trauma throughout the homeless youth population.  The Counseling Center in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago engaged ISED Solutions in 2001 as their evaluator of a new SAMHSA grant.  The purpose of this grant was to form a community collaboration that would design a pilot mental health program to engage homeless youth in mental health services in non-traditional ways.  Since the end of the two-year SAMHSA grant, CCLV has continued to engage ISED Solutions in the evaluation of the homeless youth mental health program or “Youth in Transition” (YIT) project.

As CCLV’s evaluator, ISED Solutions has conducted program planning and implementation studies as well as youth client outcome studies.  Youth outcomes analyzed have included engagement in treatment activities, changes in mental health assessment scores, and community services accessed.

ISED Solutions reports have been disseminated to CCLV staff and managers, federal grant managers, the Chicago Community Trust, which is funding the YIT project, and community stakeholders.

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Evaluation of the Mental Health Re-Entry Programs in Iowa (2002-2007)

The mental health re-entry programs are designed to provide offenders with mental illnesses the support they need to transition back into the community upon their release from prison.  The mental health re-entry programs operate in two judicial districts in Iowa.

ISED Solutions conducted a process and an outcome evaluation of the three mental health re-entry programs.  The evaluation included focus groups with program participants, an analysis of outcomes for program participants, and a comparison of program participants with offenders with mental illnesses who do not participate in a mental health re-entry program.

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Related publications:

Hein, M.  Iowa’s Mental Health Re-entry Programs:  An Overview of the Achievements and Lessons Learned.  Washington, D.C.: ISED Solutions (2008). (link forthcoming)

Hein, M.  An Evaluation of Three Transitional Mental Health Re-entry Programs in Iowa:  Fifth Annual Evaluation Report.  Washington, D.C.: ISED Solutions (2008). (link forthcoming)

 

REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS

Refugee Welfare and Immigration Reform Project (1997–2000)

The goals of this project were to:

Increase awareness and understanding of:  new federal welfare reform and immigration policies, as well as state and county-level policy options; the impact of these policies on refugee families; and effective service strategies and programs that enabled refugee families to respond positively to these new policies; and

Provide technical assistance to refugee service agencies and other organizations that were implementing innovative Office of Refugee Resettlement-funded projects responding to the repercussions of welfare reform.

To achieve these goals, ISED Solutions staff (1) analyzed state and federal welfare policies; (2) gathered information about refugee service models and issues; (3) developed materials and disseminated them to refugee service providers, ethnically-based community organizations, state and local governments, and refugees themselves; and (4) provided training and technical assistance to people who worked with and on behalf of refugees. 

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Publications:     

Home-Based Child Care:  Assessing the Self-Sufficiency Potential (link forthcoming)

Refugee Health Care Employment and Training Opportunities:  Climbing the Ladder (link forthcoming)

 

RESEARCH CONSULTING

IDA Collaboration Research Assessment (2007)

ISED conducted a research assessment of the GAIN$ Individual Development Account (IDA) collaboration in Flint, Michigan.  The purpose of the assessment was to examine the current operating procedures of the project and make recommendations to strengthen the program.  ISED’s research was recently featured in the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation’s newsletter Mott Mosaic.

For more information contact Jan Losby. 

Aspen Institute (1997–2000)

The Aspen Institute evaluated foundation-funded sectoral employment programs operated by agencies in six cities across the U.S.  ISED Solutions provided an analysis of the sampling strategy and assisted with the design of the interview instrument for this longitudinal study of participants.  ISED Solutions also provided input on the data analysis activities of this evaluation.

For more information contact Jan Losby.

Employee & Family Resources Research Audit (1999-2000)

The purpose of the research audit of the EFR’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) was to determine the extent to which current EAP data collection procedures and management information system support EFR’s needs for information on EAP performance.  The findings of this audit were intended to enable EFR to use client and program data to monitor, assess, and report organizational performance.

For more information contac Jan Losby.

Eurasia Foundation Program Evaluation Training (2000)

ISED Solutions provided program evaluation training to two groups of Russian professionals:  staff of the Moscow office of the Eurasia Foundation and professionals in a variety of fields with whom the foundation is contracting for program evaluation services.  The Eurasia Foundation is a privately managed grantmaking organization dedicated to funding programs that build democratic and free market institutions in the 12 New Independent States of the former Soviet Union.

For more information contact Jan Losby.

 

SUBSTANCE ABUSE/CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY

Drug Court in Blank Hawk County, Iowa (2005-2007)

Drug courts provide an alternative to incarceration for individuals whose criminal offending is linked to drug use and addiction. The program is intended to help these individuals address their drug addictions and stop committing crimes. These community-based programs have become widespread, beginning with a single program in Miami, Florida in 1989.  Now there are over 1,500 drug court programs in the U.S.

A drug court handles cases involving substance-abusing offenders through comprehensive supervision, drug testing, treatment services and immediate sanctions and incentives.  Black Hawk County (Waterloo, Iowa) began operating its drug court during the fall of 2005, and ISED conducted the process and outcome evaluations.

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Publications:

Hein, M.  Black Hawk County Drug Court:  An Evaluation of the First Two Years.  Washington, D.C.: ISED Solutions (2008). (link forthcoming)

Drug Court in Douglas County, Omaha (1999-2006)

ISED Solutions has provided evaluation services to the Douglas County Drug Court in Omaha, Nebraska since 1999.  Over the past seven years we have worked closely with drug court staff in conducting a variety of process, outcome, and cost-benefit analyses.  Our research is unique in that it regularly features the elicitation of client feedback.  Findings from our evaluations inform drug court staff, the district court, state criminal justice officials, and community stakeholders regarding the effectiveness of the drug court program and ways in which it may be improved. 

ISED Solutions evaluations for drug courts analyze program processes such as client assessment, treatment, drug screening/testing, and sanctioning for noncompliance and new criminal offenses.  We analyze client outcomes such as treatment completion, drug use, and recidivism.  Our cost benefit-analysis calculates cost savings attributable to the drug court program, as compared with traditional adjudication and sentencing.

ISED Solutions evaluation findings play a prominent role in drug courts dissemination of information to court, criminal justice agency, treatment provider, and community stakeholders.

For more information contact Maria Hein. 

Publications:

Report (link forthcoming)

Drug Court in Nebraska (2001-2004)

ISED Solutions conducted an outcome evaluation for the Lancaster County (Lincoln, NE) Adult Drug Court.  The evaluation tracked a number of outcomes, such as the drug court completion rate, drug use patterns, substance abuse treatment outcomes, and criminal recidivism.

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Related publications:

Hein.  (2005).  Lancaster County Adult Drug Court:  An Evaluation of the First Three Years.  ISED Solutions: Washington, D.C. (link forthcoming)

Women’s Tobacco Prevention Network (2000-2005)

The Women’s Tobacco Prevention Network (WTPN) was a national network to support organizations in their efforts to design and implement initiatives to address the impact that tobacco has had on women and girls.  The WTPN provided support to its 13 national partner organizations, state tobacco control programs, and others with an interest in addressing the impact that tobacco has had on women and girls.

ISED Solutions conducted a process and an outcome evaluation of the WTPN.  ISED Solutions also worked with the WTPN to publish a report on the lessons that have been learned about developing and implementing tobacco control initiatives for women and girls over the course of the 5 year project.

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Publications:

Hein. (2005).  The Women’s Tobacco Prevention Network:  A Summary of the Lessons Learned.  ISED Solutions: Washington, DC. (link forthcoming)

Families Plus (2000–2002)

Employee and Family Resources (Des Moines, Iowa) provides early intervention and prevention support services for parents and guardians of first time juvenile offenders who have used alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs.  ISED Solutions served as the third party evaluator for this project. 

The evaluation contains both a process study of the planning and implementation stages and an outcome study.  ISED conducted key informant interviews, analyzed written documents and group processes, and collected and analyzed participant outcome data. 

For more information contact Maria Hein.

House of Mercy Treatment Programs (1999-2002)

ISED Solutions evaluated the effectiveness of House of Mercy’s residential and outpatient programs and offered technical assistance focused on improving the quality of care and the agency’s management information system.  HOM is a treatment program for homeless and/or chemically-dependent women and their children, located in Des Moines, Iowa. 

The outcome evaluation examined clients’ and former clients’ performance in areas such as substance use, parenting attitudes and approaches, housing stability, employment, education, use of public benefits, and legal system involvement. 

For more information contact Maria Hein.

House of Mercy Medical Careers Project (1998–2001)

ISED Solutions evaluated the Medical Careers Project (MCP), a demonstration project designed to assist adult House of Mercy (HOM) residents obtain employment in health care settings and move toward self-sufficiency.  HOM is a treatment program for homeless and/or chemically-dependent women and their children, located in Des Moines, Iowa. 

The program evaluation had three components:  (1) a description of the intervention model; (2) an analysis of MCP participant outcomes, focusing on the areas of employment, education, and use of public benefits; and (3) a description of policy changes made as a result of the project and an analysis of the impact of these changes.

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Publications:

How Far I’ve Come: Education and Employment Outcomes of the Medical Careers Project (link forthcoming)

 

WELFARE REFORM/WELFARE TO WORK

Kansas Leavers Study (2001)

ISED Solutions surveyed 1,400 former Kansas welfare recipients to assess how they fared without cash assistance.  Content areas addressed in the telephone survey included:  the employment situation of the leavers, whether families are better or worse off financially once they leave welfare, child welfare outcomes, service utilization patterns, and satisfaction with welfare supports.  

For more information contact Jan Losby.

Refugee Welfare and Immigration Reform Project (1997–2000)

The goals of this project were to:

Increase awareness and understanding of:  new federal welfare reform and immigration policies, as well as state and county-level policy options; the impact of these policies on refugee families; and effective service strategies and programs that enabled refugee families to respond positively to these new policies; and

Provide technical assistance to refugee service agencies and other organizations that were implementing innovative Office of Refugee Resettlement-funded projects responding to the repercussions of welfare reform.

To achieve these goals, ISED Solutions staff (1) analyzed state and federal welfare policies; (2) gathered information about refugee service models and issues; (3) developed materials and disseminated them to refugee service providers, ethnically-based community organizations, state and local governments, and refugees themselves; and (4) provided training and technical assistance to people who worked with and on behalf of refugees. 

For more information contact Maria Hein.

Publications:

Home-Based Child Care:  Assessing the Self-Sufficiency Potential (link forthcoming)

Refugee Health Care Employment and Training Opportunities:  Climbing the Ladder (link forthcoming)

Iowa Welfare Reform (1994–2001)

The objective of Iowa’s welfare reform evaluation is to assess the impact of this comprehensive redesign of Iowa’s welfare system on Family Investment Program (FIP) families and their movement toward self-sufficiency.  The study includes an analysis of Department of Human Services administrative data, site visits to the central office and nine research counties, client focus groups, customer satisfaction surveys, an impact survey, and cost-benefit and cost-neutrality analyses. 

As the subcontractor, ISED Solution’s role in the study included a process study, quarterly customer satisfaction surveys, client focus groups, a telephone survey of long-term welfare recipients, and contributions to the cost-benefit study.  ISED was responsible for conducting focus groups with a cohort of 45 welfare recipients every quarter for four years. 

For more information contact Jan Losby.

Iowa’s Limited Benefit Plan:  Repeat Assignments (1998–1999)

This was a study of welfare recipients who had been assigned to the Limited Benefit Plan (LBP) for a second time.  The LBP is a consequence for not participating in required PROMISE JOBS activities.  For those on a second or subsequent LBP there is no right of reconsideration, and cash benefits to the whole family are terminated.  To gather data about these cases and the reasons they entered a second LBP, ISED conducted in-person interviews and Mathematical Policy Research (MPR) conducted telephone interviews.

For more information contact Jan Losby.

Iowa’s Limited Benefit Plan (1995–1996)

The Iowa Limited Benefit Plan (LBP) terminates cash benefits for clients who do not comply with the participation requirements of Iowa’s welfare reform initiative.  This evaluation described the population assigned to the LBP and determined what happened to the families as a result of this assignment.  This study provided policy makers an early opportunity to learn about the impact of benefit termination on families and children.  It consisted of an analysis of the Department of Human Services data files, a survey of persons whose benefits had been terminated, and in-depth interviews with a small sample of cases. 

For more information contact Jan Losby.

Nebraska’s Welfare Reform (1996)

The purpose of the evaluation of Nebraska’s welfare reform initiative—the Employment First and Self-Sufficiency program—was to assess the impact of this redesign of Nebraska’s welfare system on the Employment First families and their movement toward self-sufficiency.  The study included an analysis of Department of Social Services administrative data, site visits to the central office and the research county, client focus groups, an impact survey, a cost analysis, and a cost-neutrality analysis.  The evaluation involved an experimental design with 3,000 cases divided between a treatment group and control group. 

For more information contact Jan Losby.

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