II.	Comparative Site Profiles
	A.	Introduction
	B.	Site-By-Site Descriptions
	C.	Comparisons With Other AFIA Grantees

This chapter provides descriptive information about the five visited programs comparing them to all others receiving AFIA grants in the first year of funding availability.

A. Introduction

The unit of analysis for the process study is the AFIA program site. In many instances grantees operate IDA programs at multiple sites, and these sites may be quite different from each other in their organizational designs and operating practices.

Site Selection

For the first-round visits reported here, we selected sites from among all AFIA grantees that received funding from the fiscal year (FY) 1999 appropriation. The sites were selected on a purposive basis, with the aim of illustrating a range of program characteristics and operating environments. As a first step, we excluded from consideration the following categories of sites:

Following these exclusions, site selection was then based on the following criteria:

We classified sites according to these features and attempted to select sites that illustrated variation on these characteristics. Site selection was made in consultation with HHS staff and the AFIA technical assistance contractor.

In succeeding years we will use a selection and visitation strategy that captures both grantee cohort differences and longitudinal program changes. Sites may well vary between cohorts, as the AFIA program may attract different types of grantees in each succeeding application year. Such cohort differences may significantly affect the outcomes observed among participants in the survey sample. We thus will want to assess whether differences exist between grantee cohorts and if so, what are their implications for AFIA program operations. Accordingly, we will select sites from multiple grantee cohorts, from FY 1999 to FY 2002. (Note that only the first two of these cohorts, FY 1999 and FY 2000, will be represented in the participant survey to be conducted for the non-experimental impact study.)

It is likely that each program site will progress through several stages of development within its five-year project period. The most significant changes will probably occur within the first three years, as programs make start-up adjustments and then approach a steady state. Thus, we will generally follow each selected site for a total of two years, consisting of two annual visits conducted in the second and third year of program operations. The first-round visit focuses on establishing a baseline understanding of the site and its activities. The second-round visit will seek to document changes that have occurred to baseline conditions in the interim period.

Site Visit Procedures

For each selected site, the visit consisted of in-person interviews with four types of respondents: program coordinators, program associates (front-line staff), accountholders, and representatives from financial institutions. This information was supplemented by a review of grantees' funding applications, progress reports, and program data reported by grantees to the technical assistance provider, as appropriate.

After the five study sites were selected, we sent each site a cover letter explaining the study, describing what it would involve for them, and identifying a contact person on the Abt Associates staff if they had questions. This was followed by a telephone call to arrange a convenient time for the site visit, typically two to three weeks in advance.

A single interviewer generally conducted each site visit. The exception to this was the first visit, conducted in May 2001 by two interviewers to ensure standardization of procedures at the subsequent sites. The visit to each site was composed of the following major elements: interviews with AFIA program staff (the coordinator and one or more associates), interviews with representatives of financial institutions, group interviews with selected accountholders, and observation of program services provided (such as financial literacy classes).

Interviews with program staff were conducted using semi-structured interview guides, separately developed for program coordinators and program associates. The interview guides are presented in Appendices A and B. Their use ensured that interviews were conducted consistently across sites. Individual questions in the interview guides for the site visits were constructed to provide direction to respondents, but not to restrict responses. Many questions had open-ended probes to encourage further discussion of the topic. Despite the structured design of the instrument, the interview itself was conducted in an informal and relaxed manner. Interviewers became sufficiently familiar with the interview protocol as to be comfortable addressing topics in an alternative order that the interviewee might prefer.

Two types of respondents were targeted for the program staff interviews: AFIA program coordinators (or directors) and AFIA program associates (or front-line staff). These respondents provided relevant descriptions of the AFIA program from different perspectives. In addition, certain topics were covered only with one respondent type or the other, depending on whether the topic was more policy or implementation oriented. Coordinator interviews took approximately 2 hours to conduct on average, with associate interviews requiring about 75 minutes on average.

We attempted to schedule the site visits in order to view IDA support services such as financial literacy classes, peer group meetings, or "follow-up" classes (e.g. classes on home maintenance or small-business management). We anticipated that viewing these program activities first-hand would importantly contribute to our understanding of each program studied. The financial education component and support services are commonly regarded by staff as integral to motivating participants. It is also apparent that programs vary substantially in these aspects.

We also arranged informal group interviews with selected accountholders to obtain their perceptions of the AFIA program. These interviews enabled us to learn about participants' motivation for entering the program and their experiences in establishing and maintaining a regular pattern of saving. To minimize the burden on both the accountholders and program staff in arranging such interviews, we normally conducted them before or after a scheduled meeting that accountholders were attending (such as a financial literacy class) and kept the interviews brief and informal.

Finally, while on site we also conducted interviews with representatives of partnering financial institutions. We looked to these interviews to document how such institutions manage AFIA accounts and their motivation for doing so. These interviews also tended to reveal factors that either promoted or hindered the participation of financial institutions in AFIA programs.

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B. Site-By-Site Descriptions

The process study sites are described below. Exhibit 2-1 summarizes key features of their AFIA programs.

Exhibit 2-1: Major Program Characteristics of Sites Visited

Characteristic	Community Services Agency	Mercy Housing	Mt. Hope Housing Company	Social Development Commission	YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh
Region/Location	West (Reno, NV)	West (Sacramento, CA	East, (Bronx, NY)	Midwest (Milwaukee, WI)	Midwest (Pittsburgh, PA)
Urban/Rural	Urban/Rural	Urban/Rural	Urban	Urban	Urban
Type of Organization	Multi-servicie social service agency. Single-site grantee	Housing company. Single-site grantee.	Housing company. Single-site grantee.	Multi-service social service agency. One organization within a multi-site grantee (WISCAP)	Multi-service social service agency. Single-site grantee.
AFIA grant award	$70,719	$79,500	$138,257	$31,000	$300,000
Number of AFIA accounts funded	32	90	83	29	140
Grant award per funded account	$2,210	$883	$1,666	$1,107	$2,143
Number of AFIA accounts opened (at time of visit)	30	57	45	20	45
Percentage of funded accounts opened	94%	63%	54%	71%	32%
Target population	Latinos, African-Americans, female- headed households	Recent immigrants, female-headed households	Latinos, African-Americans, refugees, female-headed households, TANF recipients	Bosnian/Serbian, Laotian, and Hmong refugees	Public housing residents and Section 8 tenants
Allowable uses	Homeownership/ small business/ education	Homeownership/ small business/ education	Homeownership/ small business/ education	Homeownership/ small business/ education	Homeownership
Number of financial institutions	3	3	1	1	1
Match rate	1:1	2:1	2:1	2:1	4:1
Maximum savings period	3 years	2 years	3 years	2 years	5 years
Deposit required for account opening	$25	$20	$25	$10	$10
Minimum monthly deposits	$10	$10	$30	$10	$10
Maximum amount eligible for match	$4,800	$800	$1,500	$1,000	$1,000
Maximum match amount	$4,800	$1,600	$3,000	$2,000	$4,000
Number of non-AFIA IDA programs	2	4	1	1	0

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Community Services Agency
Reno, NV

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This program is notable for its approach to recruitment. After initial difficulties recruiting, what has emerged is a participant population composed largely of CSA's internal constituency of existing clients and even staff members. This creates a strong element of peer support among participants, since many of them already know each other. It also delivers its financial literacy component in a unique way that involves rotating the teaching obligations among three banks in a continuous cycle of classes.

Organization and Community

The Community Services Agency (CSA) was founded in 1965 to promote self-sufficiency through initiatives in the areas of human services, economic development and affordable housing. CSA is one of the largest human service agencies in Northern Nevada, second only to the United Way of Northern Nevada. It is staffed by over 60 employees.

CSA began as a human service agency and ventured into housing development with the creation of Community Services Agency Development Corporation (CSADC) in the 1980s. To date CSADC has developed eleven projects consisting of over 1,000 affordable housing units throughout Nevada. In addition to housing development, CSA also provides a variety of other human services. These include Operation Head Start, home purchase assistance (down payment and closing cost assistance), energy efficiency rehabilitation assistance, educational and employment services for at-risk youth, entrepreneurial assistance, and emergency assistance for welfare to work participants.

The AFIA program appears to have catalyzed a number of other IDA programs in the area. CSA initiated a pilot computer purchase IDA for sixteen employees in which savings of $750 were matched 1:1 by CSA. The organization is also in negotiations with insurance companies to start an insurance IDA program in which insurance companies will match beneficiary contributions for deductible payments and for dependents.

The community served by CSA is primarily composed of Latinos, African-Americans, and female-headed households.

AFIA Program

The AFIA program serves both rural and urban communities in Reno and neighboring communities. The program has three allowable uses: homeownership, micro-enterprise, and post-secondary education.

The target population consists of families participating in the Head Start program who meet the federally established poverty income level. CSA also targets low-income families who occupy its low-income housing units. CSA has over 1,000 units throughout the state of Nevada occupied by families earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. CSA is notable in the high proportion of its participants (94 percent) who are at or below the poverty level. After initial difficulties reaching out to the low-income, primarily Latino population, what has emerged is a participant population consisting largely of people already affiliated in one way or another with CSA - primarily clients of other CSA programs, or staff members.

The AFIA program has 32 AFIA-funded accounts available. The match rate is 1:1. The maximum savings deposit is $4,800, with a maximum match of $4,800 over a 3-year period. Thirty accounts were opened as of June 2001. Monthly deposits are required, ranging between $10 and $100.

Financial Partners

Three banks are involved in this IDA program. The principal bank is Wells Fargo. It administers all of the open AFIA accounts. Two other banks are involved: US Bank and Bank of America. They also hold some of the match funds. The three banks deliver the financial literacy training on a rotating basis.

Due to a solid existing relationship, forging the financial partnership was straightforward. Wells Fargo holds most of CSA assets for other programs administered by CSA.

CSA partners with local organizations to provide asset specific training for IDA accountholders. They include Consumer Credit Counseling, Nevada Small Business Development Center (NSBDC), Bank of America, US Bank, and Wells Fargo. Consumer Credit Counseling provides credit counseling and offers an 8-hour homebuyer course to accountholders free of charge in Spanish and English. At the end of the course, participants receive a certificate valid for one year that may reduce the amount of private mortgage insurance and may provide other first-time homebuyer assistance. NSBDC provides guidance and information on starting a small business from providing a business idea and capitalization to customer service and product development. Wells Fargo, US Bank, and Bank of America each provide financial literacy training on a rotating basis.

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Mercy Housing
Sacramento, CA

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Organization and Community

Mercy Housing California is a housing and community development organization. It operates resident services programs at affordable housing sites in urban and rural areas throughout the state of California. Established over 20 years ago, Mercy Housing California builds, manages, and owns affordable housing for low-income families. The work of Mercy Housing California includes affordable rental housing, community development, family self-help homeownership, property operations, and resident services such as education, economic advancement, youth services, health services, and senior services. The community and economic development programs focus on community empowerment and family self-sufficiency. It also offers a job training and placement program for welfare recipients and low-income individuals.

AFIA Program

The Developing Real Economic Assets Mutually (DREAM) IDA program was established at Mercy Housing California's Sacramento office (formerly Rural California Housing Corporation) to complement existing economic independence programs. These include job skills training and job development, technical assistance with small business start-ups, and referrals to affordable home-ownership programs.

AFIA funds 90 accounts. The match rate is 2:1. The maximum savings amount is $800 with a maximum match of $1,600 over 2 years. The original target population consisted of residents of properties the organization owns or manages, but this was subsequently expanded to the general public.

Two organizations are involved in the operation and marketing of this IDA program: Mercy Housing California and the Sacramento Valley Organizing Community (SVOC). The SVOC is a faith-based community-organizing group that has partnered with Mercy Housing California in the past. For example, Mercy Housing California manages 25 Welfare-to-Work IDA accounts for SVOC clients. SVOC provides access to employment, housing, health care, citizenship, and microlending resources. It dedicates a small percentage of the time of one of its community organizers to work on recruitment for the AFIA program, in conjunction with Mercy Housing staff.

Of the 90 AFIA-funded accounts, 57 are reserved for Mercy Housing California and 33 for SVOC. At the time of our site visit, 53 of the 57 accounts reserved for Mercy Housing California had been filled, and 4 of the 33 accounts reserved for SVOC had been filled.

Mercy Housing California also operates four other IDA programs in addition to the AFIA-funded one. These include a program for the SVOC Welfare-to-Work Alumni Association; the Sacramento Federation of Program Operators' Project SEED IDA program; the Sacramento Mutual Housing Association IDA Program; and the Individual Development and Empowerment Account Program. Together, its five IDA programs account for over 200 accounts. They are managed by two full-time staff members and a VISTA volunteer.

Financial Partners

Mercy Housing California is affiliated with three banks for the AFIA program: California Bank & Trust (CBT), Washington Mutual, and Feather River State Bank. All fees are waived. CBT holds all of the match money as the principal financial partner. Washington Mutual and Feather River State Bank are smaller banks in more remote rural locations. They were brought in primarily because accountholders desired contact with a local branch. Participants receive economic literacy and asset acquisition training provided and designed by Mercy Housing California program staff or a partnering organization. Guest speakers are invited periodically.

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Mt. Hope Housing Company
Bronx, New York

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Organization and Community

Mt. Hope Housing Company ("Mt. Hope") was established in 1986 by community leaders hoping to reverse the lack of investment and massive abandonment of the area's rental housing stock in the 1970s and 1980s. It was created to provide affordable housing for its community's low and moderate-income families. Mt. Hope presently owns 1,200 housing units in 29 buildings and manages 1,000 units. The Company has expanded to offer many more services besides housing. It now provides services related to health care, family services, employment, recreation, and education. It has developed community facilities such as a community thrift shop, the Mt. Hope Primary Care Center, the Job Resource Center, a community garden, and the Home Maintenance Training Center. It has approximately 70 employees.

The local neighborhood - an urbanized, largely Latino area of the South Bronx - is low-income but not devoid of financial institutions. It was considered by interview respondents to be fairly well served by various banks and credit unions. For example, 80 percent of the IDA accountholders have checking accounts, and 40 percent have savings accounts. Also, many have direct deposits of paychecks and IDA deposits.

AFIA Program

Mt. Hope has AFIA funding for 83 IDA accounts, with 45 opened as of May 2001. The match rate is 2:1. The minimum opening deposit of $25. The savings period is 6 months to 3 years. There are three allowable uses: homeownership, microenterprise, and post-secondary education. At the time of our site visit, two withdrawals had been made, both for home purchase, and a third was pending.

Mt. Hope targets residents of the South Bronx, with priority given to residents of the portion of the target area defined as Community District 5, and families with children. Much of the local population is Latino and African-American, with large proportions of female-headed households.

At the time of our site visit, the AFIA program was operated by two individuals: a full-time program manager, and a VISTA IDA volunteer. Oversight of the program was maintained by the Vice President of Community Development. In June 2001 the program manager departed and the Company began a search for her replacement.

Mt. Hope established a previous homeownership IDA program in 1996 under a program offered by the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York. In 1998, cognizant of the difficulty of affording real estate in the New York City market, it expanded allowable uses to computer purchase and retirement. This program also serves a higher-income population (80 percent of area median income). Mt. Hope still maintains this program, which has ten accounts.

Financial Partner

Mt. Hope's financial institution is Bethex Federal Credit Union, a community development credit union that specializes in serving low-income local residents. Bethex consists of an Executive Director, who founded the credit union 31 years ago, and fewer than 10 full-time and part-time staff, about half of whom are workfare recipients. An IDA VISTA volunteer administers the IDA accounts. The relationship between Mt. Hope and Bethex is a long-standing and close one. Mt. Hope donates office space for Bethex in one of its properties; it has substantial company deposits there; and a Mt. Hope representative has traditionally served on the Bethex Board. Therefore, it was natural that Mt. Hope selected Bethex as its AFIA financial partner.

Originally, Bethex was to assume the lead in developing and delivering the financial literacy component in addition to holding the accounts. However, a philosophical difference over the financial literacy curriculum, and Bethex's limited staff availability, led to Mt. Hope's assuming the lead on that component of the program. Bethex's role is now simply as financial repository of the accounts.

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Social Development Commission
Milwaukee, WI

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This AFIA program is notable for the unusual target population, refugees, whose needs and savings behavior is in many ways different from the traditional low-income populations served by most other AFIA programs. The refugees are highly motivated to succeed in this program; savings deposits are typically in the range of $200 per month.

Organization and Community

The Social Development Commission (SDC) is a community action agency in operation since 1963. With about 350 staff members and an annual budget of $31 million, SDC serves 200,000 people in over 30 programs. The range of services provided is quite diverse. These include Headstart, senior meal program, tax preparation assistance site, victim assistance, energy assistance, education and training, youth development, and business development.

SDC's service area includes all of Milwaukee County. Milwaukee is the largest city in the state of Wisconsin, with a population of approximately 600,000. The executive offices of SDC are located in the heart of the downtown area, next to the Grand Avenue Mall. SDC operates over 25 programs in various locations all around Milwaukee County, including a Southside Neighborhood Service Center. Most of the AFIA participants come from urban (but not the inner city) areas of Milwaukee.

SDC is a sub-grantee of the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association (WISCAP), an umbrella organization. WISCAP is the professional network, or trade association, of Wisconsin's sixteen Community Action Agencies, the United Migrant Opportunities Services, the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, and the Foundation for Rural Housing. The sixteen Community Action Agencies work with each other and WISCAP to provide economic opportunities to low-income people across the state. The organization works to design, establish, and manage statewide anti-poverty programs. Services are provided at the local level, while WISCAP provides overall management for statewide programs.

WISCAP has had experience with IDA programs before AFIA. Two member agencies, ADVOCAP and the Community Action Coalition for South Central, had previously established IDA programs. One of these, the ADVOCAP IDA program, established in 1995, was one of the first IDA programs in the nation and participates in the national American Dream Demonstration. In addition, WISCAP and ten of its member organizations, including SDC, operate IDA programs funded in part by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Under the ORR program, which is targeted to refugees, qualified IDA uses include the purchase of an automobile or computer, and home repair.

SDC was particularly interested in establishing an AFIA program because it helped round out SDC's mission to help the poor of Milwaukee move out of poverty through asset-building. The AFIA program fits well with another initiative SDC is planning to launch in 2001: a community-wide initiative entitled the Milwaukee Asset Building Coalition, whose goal is to improve individual net worth through EITC and educational services including financial literacy and asset building. Elements of this initiative include promotion of the Earned Income Tax Credit and provision of tax preparation services, and asset building opportunities such as IDAs.

AFIA Program

WISCAP's AFIA grant was for $500,000 to fund a total of 453 IDA accounts. This grant was divided between fifteen organizations, with SDC receiving $31,000 to fund 28 IDA accounts. An additional 19 accounts are currently being allocated to SDC because of an internal reallocation from other WISCAP sub-grantees. The allowable uses are homeownership, micro-enterprise, and post-secondary education/job-training.

The match rate is 2:1. The minimum monthly deposit required is $10 but most of the participants deposit much larger than required. The maximum total saving per household is $1,000, resulting in a maximum match of $2,000 over 2 years. At the time of our site visit, 20 accounts had been opened. SDC also operates an ORR-funded IDA program that has 25 slots. At the time of our site visit, two participants had completed the AFIA-funded program. One used the funds for home purchase, the other for education.

The target group for this program is refugees. About 80 percent of the participants are refugees, primarily Bosnian Serbians, Laotians, and Hmong. Outreach has been primarily through two faith-based institutions, a Serbian Orthodox church and a Buddhist temple. SDC plans to expand the program to serve many more clients, including its traditional low-income clients, when it launches the Milwaukee Asset Building Coalition later in 2001.

Financial Partner

SDC's financial partner is Wells Fargo Bank, which had taken over Northwest Bank, with whom SDC had had an existing relationship. What convinced the bank to participate was its solid relationship with SDC and the custodial feature of the IDA accounts. According to Wells Fargo, the bank does not receive Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) credit for this program. Participants open up a standard passbook savings account, but all the monthly fees and minimum balance requirements are waived.

The financial literacy training is delivered in small groups or sometimes one-on-one by SDC staff. Many of the refugees already understand the importance of savings and the concept of net worth. They need help, however in understanding how American financial institutions work. Moreover, instead of credit repair, they need help in establishing a credit history. Participants who need more intensive assistance are sent to the "Get Checking" program offered by local organizations such as the Consumer Credit Counseling Services, SDC, and University of Wisconsin Extension School. This program arose out of concern over the numbers of Milwaukee residents who were not eligible for bank accounts. Participants who complete the program and who have settled their debt problems are presented with a certificate that allows them to open a checking account at a participating bank or credit union.

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YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA

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This program is noteworthy in the way that AFIA program elements have been adapted from existing asset-building programs dispersed across three organizations. It is also unusual in terms of the bank's strong, even dominant, role.

Organization and Community

This AFIA program is a partnership between three organizations: the YWCA (the AFIA grantee), the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP), and Dollar Bank. It was the HACP that convened the AFIA partnership. The AFIA program is targeted to clients of the HACP, specifically, public housing residents and Section 8 tenants. The HACP convened the partnership because it felt that the IDA incentives would complement its own self-sufficiency and homeownership promotion efforts. It had previous relationships with both the YWCA and Dollar Bank although the two had not worked together before. The YWCA is under contract to the HACP to provide case management for the HACP's Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program. Dollar Bank had been under contract to the HACP since 1998 to offer its homeownership training course, Mission: Homeownership, to HACP clients.

Established over 100 years ago, the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh provides a range of services related to affordable housing and self-sufficiency. TANF recipients comprise a major segment of the target populations for its programs. Its housing program portfolio includes a housing counseling program and a tenant-training program. Other programs include case management for the FSS program, Bridge Housing, YWCA Homes Inc. (a subsidiary corporation for low-income rental housing development), and Ujima House (permanent housing for formerly homeless families). It also operates a number of job training and employment placement programs, as well as programs aimed at reducing girls' involvement in gangs.

The HACP currently operates about 7,500 housing units in the city. It also provides a number of social and economic programs, including an academic youth camp and mentoring program, a job program for teens, a bank teller training program, and summer maintenance training program.

Dollar Bank is prominent locally with respect to its outreach to low-income communities. It is considered a lender in responding to the Community Reinvestment Act. For example, its Credit Enhancement Program provides mortgage counseling and credit counseling for low-income individuals. Since 1991 approximately 1,100 individuals have enrolled in this program, and 323 have purchased homes. Among the AFIA accountholders, 81 percent have checking accounts, and 54 percent have savings accounts.

AFIA Program

The AFIA program was incorporated into Dollar Bank's existing Mission: Homeownership program. The program consists of a homeownership course and personalized credit counseling. Thus, the Mission: Homeownership program consists of two groups of participants: AFIA participants and its traditional participants - those with incomes less than 80 percent of the area median income. Upon completion, the latter may receive grants up to $3,000 from Dollar Bank for down payments. All completers of Mission: Homeownership are obliged to apply for their mortgages at Dollar Bank.

Responsibilities were to be divided among the partner organizations as follows. Grant administration would be handled by the YWCA as the grantee. Its FSS caseworkers would also provide IDA case management. Dollar Bank would provide financial education as part of its Mission: Homeownership program, and would maintain the accounts. The HACP would take the lead in recruiting, using its existing channels (HACP newsletters, residents' meetings, etc).

The program is targeted to Section 8 tenants, public housing residents and other low-income families (earning 80 percent of AMI or less). Also targeted are families paying at least $350 out-of-pocket in monthly rent and all residents of public housing units facing federally mandated demolition under Section 202. This group is almost entirely made up of families with children.

The match rate is 4:1. The maximum saving per household is $1,000 with a maximum match of $4,000 over five years. The minimum monthly deposit is $10 per month. Forty-five accounts had been opened at the time of our site visit, out of 140 funded slots. Four individuals had purchased homes, and 16 were in the process of doing so. Approximately 17 accounts were considered "dormant" (had not shown activity).

The staff members involved in the AFIA program are as follows. At the YWCA, two FSS caseworkers conduct case management, under the day-to-day supervision of a manager responsible for both the AFIA and the FSS programs. General oversight is provided by the YWCA's director of housing programs. At the HACP, one individual is responsible for AFIA issues among his many other job responsibilities. At Dollar Bank, one staff member provides the financial literacy training and credit counseling for all Mission: Homeownership participants (over 200 individuals) although a second staff member had been hired and was being trained at the time of our site visit. Supervision is provided by a bank Vice President.

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C. Comparisons With Other AFIA Grantees

The process study sites were not chosen to be representative of the entire cohort of fiscal year 1999 grantees, but rather to illustrate variations in features such as target populations and operational characteristics. To put our findings from those sites in context, it is useful to compare some of the key features of the process study sites with those of the entire cohort. These data are presented in Exhibit 2-2. The data are drawn from information provided by the AFIA grantees to PeopleWorks, the AFIA technical assistance contractor to HHS. Each characteristic presented in the table is summarized below.

Exhibit 2-2: Characteristics of Process Study Sites Compared to All Fiscal Year 1999 Grantees

Characteristic	Community Services Agency Reno, NV	Mercy Housing Sacramento, Ca	Mt. Hope Housing Company Bronx, NY	Social Development Commission Milwaukee, WI	YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA	FY1999 Cohort
Gender
Female	94%	78%	85%	59%	100%	84%
Male	6%	22%	15%	41%	0%	16%
Ethnicity
African  American	0%	39%	62%	0%	92%	41%
Asian	0%	0%	0%	35%	0%	1%
Caucasian	17%	24%	5%	0%	4%	37%
Hispanic	71%	29%	33%	0%	0%	9%
Other	12%	8%	0%	65%	0%	12%
Unknown[a]	0%	0%	0%	0%	4%	1%
Age (years)
Under 18	6%	0%	0%	0%	0%	3%
18-35	70%	47%	62%	40%	44%	53%
36-55	24%	53%	38%	60%	40%	40%
56 or older	0%	0%	0%	0%	4%	3%
Unknown	0%	0%	0%	0%	12%	1%
Marital Status
Single	29%	24%	81%	27%	73%	51%
Married	59%	29%	9%	53%	4%	21%
Separated/  Divorced/  Widowed	12%	47%	5%	20%	19%	27%
Unknown	0%	0%	5%	0%	4%	1%
Families with Children Under 18
One or more  children under  18	94%	98%	100%	90%	90%	86%
No children  under 18	6%	2%	0%	10%	10%	14%
Residence
Rural area	6%	14%	0%	0%	0%	27%
Suburban area	6%	26%	0%	0%	0%	9%
Urban area,  not inner city	88%	20%	0%	100%	0%	31%
Inner city	0%	40%	100%	0%	30%	33%
Employment Status
Full-time	59%	65%	86%	73%	73%	57%
Part-time	23%	27%	14%	14%	8%	23%
Unemployed	6%	0%	0%	0%	0%	2%
Homemaker/  Student/  Retired	12%	8%	0%	13%	15%	18%
Unknown	0%	0%	0%	0%	4%	0%
Income Level (% of federal poverty level)
Less than 100	94%	43%	24%	0%	31%	39%
101 to 150	6%	47%	43%	27%	48%	46%
151 to 200	0%	10%	33%	73%	21%	15%
Banking Relationships
With checking  accounts	53%	71%	80%	28%	81%	49%
With savings  accounts	29%	69%	40%	[b]	54%	38%
Has credit  card	6%	57%	60%	[b]	60%	28%
Account Characteristics
Percent of  AFIA funded  accounts  opened	53%	54%	23%	61%	37%	25%

Source: Unpublished tabulations of program data, as submitted by AFIA grantees in their Annual Progress Reports for 2000 and as summarized for HHS by PeopleWorks Inc., 2001.

[a] Other includes Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hawaiians and for the Milwaukee site reflects a significant refugee population.

[b] Other — data unknown

Gender. As with other IDA programs nationwide, the AFIA program clientele is primarily female. Women comprise fully 84 percent of the AFIA participants. This is also true for all of our process study sites, although the numbers vary by site. Accountholders are almost exclusively female at both the Pittsburgh site (100 percent) and the Reno site (94 percent). In contrast at the Milwaukee site women account for 59 percent of all account holders. This reflects the distinctive nature of the targeted refugee population in that program.

Ethnicity. African Americans are the predominant ethnic group served by the Pittsburgh site (92 percent) and the Bronx site (62 percent). The Reno site has a heavy concentration of Hispanic clients (71 percent). The Milwaukee site has a large number of Other (65 percent) and Asian (35 percent) participants, in keeping with its focus on refugees. The Sacramento site has a fairly even split among the African American (39 percent), Hispanic (29 percent), and Caucasian (24 percent) participants.

Age. The most common age bracket for AFIA accountholders is, not surprisingly, the prime working years 18 to 55. The Reno site was the only visited site with accountholders under the age of 18 years (6 percent). Pittsburgh was the only visited site with accountholders over the age of 56 (4 percent).

Marital status. Overall, most accountholders in the 1999 cohort are unmarried, either single (51 percent), or separated, divorced, or widowed (27 percent). About one-fifth (21 percent) of IDA accountholders are married. Marital status varied greatly by site. Two sites, Bronx and Pittsburgh, had very high proportions of unmarried accountholders (over 90 percent). At the Reno and Milwaukee sites, in contrast most accountholders were married (59 percent and 53 percent, respectively). In Sacramento, nearly one-half of accountholders (47 percent) were either separated, divorced, or widowed.

Families with children under 18. In each of our five sites, 90 percent or more of the accountholders had at least one child under the age of 18. This was slightly above the average for the 1999 cohort (86 percent).

Residence. In the overall 1999 cohort, the accountholders are fairly evenly divided among rural areas (27 percent), urban areas-not the inner city (31 percent), and inner city (33 percent), with a small suburban share (9 percent). In contrast, most of our study sites serve urban populations. The Sacramento site has the most diverse geographical mix and is the only site that serves a notable share of suburban accountholders (26 percent).

Employment status. Most accountholders in both the 1999 cohort and our study sites are employed full-time (57 percent for the cohort). Among the visited sites, the percentage employed full-time was highest in the Bronx site (86 percent).

Income level. Variations in income among the sites are interesting in view of what they imply about the capacity of participants to save. The range is substantial. One site, the Milwaukee program, draws most of its participants from the upper end of the eligible income distribution; nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of its accountholders have incomes between 151 and 200 percent of the poverty level. The Bronx and Pittsburgh sites drew between one-third and one-fifth of their accountholders from this segment of the income distribution. In contrast, nearly all accountholders at the Reno site (94 percent) had incomes at or below the federal poverty level. Similarly, almost half of the Sacramento participants (43 percent) are drawn from this lowest end of the income spectrum. In three sites (Sacramento, the Bronx, and Pittsburgh), the heaviest concentration occurs in the middle income stratum (101 to 150 percent of poverty level).

Banking relationships. With the exception of the Milwaukee site, which serves a refugee population, the process study sites have relatively more "banked" accountholders than the cohort overall. In the overall 1999 cohort, fewer than one-half of the accountholders had checking accounts (49 percent) or savings accounts (38 percent), and only about one-quarter had credit cards (28 percent). Four of the sites (all except Milwaukee) had higher shares of accountholders with checking accounts - as high as 80 percent for Bronx and Pittsburgh participants. The prevalence of savings accounts and credit cards was also higher than the cohort average for three organizations - the Bronx, Sacramento, and Pittsburgh sites. The prevalence of savings accounts and credit cards was quite low among Reno accountholders. Data were unavailable for the Milwaukee site on these items.

Percent of funded accounts opened. Overall for the cohort, only 25 percent of the funded account slots have been opened. Our sites are atypical in this respect, by design. (One of our selection criteria was a relatively high level of operational activity.) Indeed, four of our five study sites have a higher percentage of accounts opened than the cohort average: Milwaukee (61 percent), Sacramento (54 percent), Reno (53 percent), and Pittsburgh (37 percent). The Bronx site is close to the overall cohort average with 23 percent of its funded accounts opened.

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Notes

[6] In subsequent rounds of site visits, similar exclusions will be made annually at the time of site selection, based on the most recent data reported by grantees to HHS on their number of opened accounts. [Return to Text]

[7] Of the 121 program sites in the FY 1999 cohort, 21 are single-agency sites. The remaining 100 program sites correspond to 17 multi-site grantees. [Return to Text]