The evaluation of the program was conducted by MDRC in partnership with MEF Associates. MEF Associates helps administer CLEAR as a subcontractor to Abt Global. Due to MEF Associates’ involvement with this study, the review of this study was conducted exclusively by Abt Global staff.
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of Breaking Barriers on earnings and employment two years after study enrollment.
- The study was a randomized controlled trial that assigned 528 people to the program group and 533 people to the control group. The primary data source for the two-year findings analysis was administrative records from the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH).
- The study found that people assigned to the Breaking Barriers group had significantly higher earnings than the comparison group over the two-year follow-up period, and higher rates of employment in the first year after random assignment.
- This study receives a high evidence rating. This means we are confident that the estimated effects are attributable to Breaking Barriers, and not to other factors.
Intervention Examined
Features of the Intervention
Breaking Barriers, a San Diego-based program, aimed to provide employment services to low-income individuals with disabilities, utilizing the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model originally designed for those with serious mental illness.
The Breaking Barriers program was implemented by the San Diego Workforce Partnership from January 2016 through mid-2018. The program, which was offered at four America’s Job Centers of California locations in San Diego County, provided career counseling, job search assistance, job development with local employers, benefits counseling, supportive service referrals, and follow-along support post-employment.
To be eligible to participate in the Breaking Barriers programs, individuals had to be at least 18 years old, live in San Diego County, have a self-identified disability, have a low income, be unemployed or underemployed, and be a client of a qualified referral partner agency.
Features of the Study
The authors conducted a randomized controlled trial. A total of 1,061 eligible individuals interested in Breaking Barriers services were assigned at random to one of two groups: 528 to an intervention group that was offered IPS services through Breaking Barriers and 533 to a control group that was not offered Breaking Barriers services but had access to other publicly available services.
This study focused on the two-year period following study enrollment. For the two-year findings analysis, the research team received administrative records from the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH), which included information on employment and earnings for the entire study sample.
Most sample members were between the ages of 24 and 59 at the time of study enrollment; the average age was 40. About 35% of the sample identified as Hispanic, another 40% identified as White/non-Hispanic, and 14% identified as Black/non-Hispanic. Over 7% of the sample reported that they were refugees, and approximately 6% reported not speaking English fluently. Less than half (42%) reported employment in the year prior to study enrollment. Most of the sample (82%) indicated that their overall health was excellent, very good, or good at the time of study enrollment.
The authors used a statistical model to compare the outcomes of treatment and control group members.
Findings
Earnings
- The study found a positive, statistically significant relationship between assignment to Breaking Barriers and total earnings over the two-year follow-up period. On average, members of the Breaking Barriers group reported total earnings of $19,084 over this period, compared to average total earnings of $15,119 among members of the control group.
- The study found a positive, statistically significant relationship between assignment to the Breaking Barriers program group and earnings in the first year after random assignment. On average, members of the Breaking Barriers group reported total earnings of $8,807 during year one, compared to year one average earnings of $6,427 among members of the control group.
- The study did not detect a statistically significant relationship between assignment to the Breaking Barriers group and earnings in the second year after random assignment.
Employment
- The study did not detect a statistically significant relationship between assignment to the Breaking Barriers group and the total number of quarters employed over the two-year follow-up period.
- The study found a positive, statistically significant relationship between assignment to the Breaking Barriers group and employment in the first year after random assignment: 68% of the Breaking Barriers group was employed during year one, compared to 61% of the control group.
- The study did not detect a statistically significant relationship between assignment to the Breaking Barriers group and employment in the second year after random assignment.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The authors note that the patterns observed over the two-year follow up period suggest that participants in Breaking Barriers were able to obtain employment more rapidly than members of the control group, resulting in statistically significant improvements in both employment and earnings in the first year following random assignment. However, by the second year following random assignment, members of the treatment and control groups were employed at similar rates, and there were no statistically significant differences in year two earnings.