Employment and Training Program Resources - Welfare to Work Vouchers

Overview

HUD has a strong commitment to providing employment opportunities, training, and supportive services to assist low-income persons in becoming self-sufficient. Through HUD workforce development initiatives such as Family Self-Sufficiency, Youthbuild, and the Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) program, many PHAs operate a variety of employment and training programs for residents.

However, research indicates that many of the families that remain on TANF are challenged by multiple employment barriers, including minimal education, limited skill levels, and poor work histories. Further, few housing authorities have the staff, resources, or expertise to provide the level of training and employment services needed to overcome participant barriers. Therefore, it is critical that housing authorities partner with their local DOL One-Stop centers and other community-based employment and training providers. These organizations can help PHAs recruit work-ready families while also offering training and placement services to voucher recipients in need of more extensive assistance.

Programs, Tools and Resources

The employment and training information listed below is useful to housing authorities that want to improve existing programs and/or recruit partners to provide employment-related services. When reviewing these and other resources, housing authorities should consider the goals and objectives of their program and create a service strategy that meets the needs of both WtW participants and local employers.

Guidance for Developing Employment Programs

	Assessing the Local Labor Market
	Developing a Job Training Program
	Developing Jobs for Welfare to Work Voucher Recipients
	Increasing Job Retention
	Involving Employers in WtW Efforts (an issue note from the Welfare Information Network)
	Making the Most of Employer Incentives
	Promoting Job Advancement
	Working with Hard-to-Serve Populations
	Overcoming Barriers to Employment
	Establishing a Mentoring Program
	Outline of How Federal Housing Programs Can Help Provide Employment and Training Opportunities and Supportive Services to Current and Former Welfare Recipients. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Report.

Employment and Training Program Tools

	Tools for Implementing and Evaluating Job Training Programs
	2004 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Outreach Kit
	Ten Ways PHAs Can Promote the Earned Income Tax Credit
	Assessment Tools from the Xerox WtW Initiative (Adobe PDF, 6 pages)

Other Resources

	CalWORKS Fact Sheet (Adobe PDF, 3 pages)
	Goodwill Industries Career and Job Training Services
	Summary of Teleconference 9: Focus on Employment
	Summary of Teleconference 10: More Employment Strategies and Success Stories
	Learning From Each Other Case Studies
	Defining Success in the New Economy: Self-Sufficiency as a Benchmark for Workforce Programs (a report by the Women's Educational and Industrial Union)      Full Report (Adobe PDF, 37 pages)      Executive Summary (Adobe PDF, 10 pages)
	Employment Resources for Women's Program
	Promising Program Practice: Xerox Corporation and Re-entry to Work
	Focus on Jobs: Slide Presentation from the National Conference (Adobe PDF, 24 slides)
	Marriott's "Pathway to Independence" Program (Adobe PDF, 2 pages)
	Online Resources