HUD Assesses Its Employment and Training Initiatives

Interest in work and self-sufficiency among welfare recipients was heightened when Congress enacted the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act in 1996, which changed the focus of the welfare system from income support to work. Notable features of the new law include a 5-year Federal lifetime limit on cash assistance; stringent work requirements; and conversion of Aid to Families with Dependent Children, an open-ended entitlement, to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a capped block grant.

Long recognizing that HUD clients face multiple barriers to achieving self-sufficiency, and that housing assistance alone will not enable them to overcome barriers, HUD has encouraged housing providers to help residents obtain essential supportive services, including education and job training. Success in the New Welfare Environment: An Assessment of Approaches in HUD's Employment and Training Initiatives, recently released by HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research, is a preliminary assessment of the employment and training components of 13 HUD programs.

In completing the study, researchers first focused on reviewing the literature on programs designed to help welfare recipients find and remain in jobs and advance in the labor market. The research team then conducted indepth, onsite interviews with individuals from local housing authorities, employment and training agencies, welfare offices, and community-based organizations in Baltimore, Boston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, and San Antonio to permit them to assess HUD's programs in light of the lessons in the broader literature. The study focused on specific service components of HUD employment and training programs, the overall effectiveness of those service approaches, and linkages between HUD programs and programs provided through human services and employment and training systems in the community.

Among the findings of the study:

• HUD programs generally are consistent with literature on employment and training programs.

• Fewer HUD employment and training programs serve Section 8 recipients.

• TANF resident participation in HUD programs is uneven.

• Programs that target TANF recipients combine HUD funding streams and harness resources from the broader community.

• Strong linkages exist between labor agencies, but relationships with welfare departments could be strengthened.

• Implementation of financial incentives for residents must be resolved.

• Each housing authority approaches the issue of helping residents attain self-sufficiency differently.

The report identifies steps that HUD could take to strengthen employment and training services for residents, such as:

• Facilitate collaboration among housing authorities, welfare departments, and labor departments.

• Take steps to ensure that public housing authorities have implemented the financial incentives for working residents outlined in the 1998 Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act.

• Address the lack of participation in certain programs among residents on TANF by determining barriers to participation and adjusting programs accordingly.

If You Rely on Timely Housing Market Data, You Need U.S. Housing Market Conditions This easy-to-use quarterly report draws on a wide range of public and industry sources to present the latest essential data on the U.S. housing market. For example, readers of the second-quarter 2000 issue of U.S. Housing Market Conditions (released August 2000) will learn… Housing permits were issued at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,527,000 units, 9 percent below the first quarter of 2000 but still in the top third of permit activity during the past 40 years. Construction was started on 1,601,000 units during this quarter, down 8 percent from last quarter but 1 percent above the second quarter of last year. Housing completions totaled 1,635,000 units, 3 percent below last quarter. Manufactured home shipments reached 295,000 units in the first quarter, down 6 percent from the fourth quarter. For indepth, up-to-date information and analyses on housing markets, subscribe to U.S. Housing Market Conditions. For more information, contact HUD USER at (800) 245-2691.