IV. Overview of Innovative Approaches

Through the application of the criteria discussed above, we developed a typology composed of four relatively broad categories, as shown in box 1. Within each category in this typology, we delineate a number of “innovative” approaches. Two categories—service-focused employment preparation and employment-based experience—focus on approaches and strategies that generally address the needs of a “harder-to-employ” population with at least some barriers to employment. The other two categories—skill development and income and work supports—focus more broadly on low-income workers (e.g., individuals working at low wages or with unstable hours), among which TANF recipients represent an important but smaller share of the overall population.

As discussed above, this project identified innovative programs and approaches that generally targeted low-income individuals. Some of the programs target a subset of this broad population, particularly TANF recipients. While some of the programs have a predominantly female clientele (particularly those with a focus on serving TANF recipients or operating within a female-dominated occupation such as nursing, many served both men and women. Many of the efforts also served a large proportion of parents, although some did not specifically target this population. Aside from TANF recipients, we did not identify programs that specialize in specific populations such as noncustodial parents and ex-offenders, although it is likely that some are served through some of the initiatives highlighted in the report. Some of the programs did include a focus on non-English speakers, because they represent a significant portion of the low-income and welfare population in some areas.

Overall, we describe 12 innovative approaches and profile 51 programs that are illustrative of the approaches. The remainder of the report describes the innovative approaches identified within each broad category, the rationale for including the approach, key elements that define each approach, and programs that serve as examples of each approach. This is based primarily on phone discussions with program managers, but also includes information drawn from program reports and documents.