ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

We would like to express our appreciation to the many people who contributed to this study and to the preparation of this report. Foremost are the GAPS case managers and other staff who provided GAPS services, including Phyllis Copeland-Lakins and Derrick Reed from Hill House Association; Christopher Conway, Kalyani Krishnaswamy, Ethel Tate, Nanzetta Waddy, and Alberta Watson from Neighborhood Centers Association; Robin Jenkins, Dayna McCray, Barbara Willard, Victoria Mulvey, and Felicia Woodbury at Rankin Christian Centers; and Regina Ragin and Gerri Reynolds at the Urban League of Pittsburgh. These people provided invaluable detail on program operations. They carefully documented their contacts with GAPS participants in service use logs. They also took time from their busy schedules to meet with us during site visits, answer our questions, and share what they learned about providing employment retention services. In addition to the GAPS staff, we would like to thank the other agency officials and service providers who met with us during site visits and shared their perspectives and insights.

We also wish to acknowledge the important role of staff at The Pittsburgh Foundation, who provided funding for the research, as well as valuable support, guidance, and feedback. Our project officer at the Foundation, Gerri Kay, coordinated the efforts of the many individuals and agencies involved in the GAPS program and in our research, with assistance from Terry Miller and Barbara Boylan. Beverly Lovelace and Annette Green contributed their insights about the program and provided useful feedback on this report, as well as on earlier project documents.

Several others contributed in significant ways to the study. Nancye Campbell, of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, served as project officer for ACF’s grant to The Pittsburgh Foundation, which provided most of the funding for this study. She provided valuable support and guidance throughout the project. Her careful review at each step in the process was extremely important in shaping the research questions addressed by the study and this report. Claire Morrison, who directed the Allegheny County Assistance Office (ACAO) during much of the period covered by this report, drew on her considerable experience and knowledge of the welfare system to provide us with insightful guidance and feedback. Mary Jo Sistek, also at ACAO, kept us informed about the GAPS recruitment process and helped us understand Pennsylvania’s TANF rules and procedures. At the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW), Sherri Heller, Deputy Secretary of the Office of Income Maintenance, Bob Reynolds, Director of the Bureau of Program Evaluation, and others provided valuable information, comments, and feedback on the research from the state perspective. At DPW, we are also indebted to Joe Tomkiel, who supplied invaluable assistance with accessing and understanding state administrative records.

At Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., several other staff members made important contributions. Alan Hershey, senior adviser to the project, provided review and guidance at various points in the study. Julita Milliner-Waddell served as survey director for the project and was instrumental in achieving our excellent response rates. April Grady provided excellent computer programming support and assistance with processing the service use data. Patricia Ciaccio and Walt Brower carefully edited the report, and Jennifer Baskwell provided exemplary production support.

Finally, we would like to thank the many GAPS participants who took part in our surveys and patiently answered our numerous questions. We gratefully acknowledge these many contributions and accept sole responsibility for any errors or omissions in the report.