Coordination in Texas Pre-JOBS Job Training/Welfare Programs: Final Project Report

A multiyear research project was conducted to document and analyze state and local coordination among programs designed to move Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients in Texas from welfare dependency to economic self-sufficiency and to assess the degree to which coordination resulted in movement from welfare into employment. The project relied on two research components: (1) field visits to selected areas to document the nature and extent of local program coordination in 11 regions, and (2) statistical analysis of agency records to determine the impact of coordination on key outcomes for welfare recipients. Significant changes in the influence of selected program variables on AFDC duration and employment outcomes between the baseline and coordination periods were documented in all regions studied. It was concluded that coordination is indeed improving the performance of welfare-to-work programs in Texas. A series of recommendations for enhancing welfare-to-work program design and improving interprogram and interagency coordination were developed on the basis of insights developed throughout the project.Texas Department of CommerceRay Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resource