Implementation of an Intensive Job Search Program for Cash Assistance Recipients: The STRIVE Program in Westchester County, New York

The TANF program provides cash assistance to low-income families, as well as a range of other supports and services to help them become self-sufficient, such as employment-related services, childcare, and transportation. To date, employment-related services designed to improve cash assistance recipients’ employment outcomes and reduce dependency have had mixed results. Many TANF recipients struggle to find and keep jobs and many families remain poor despite the assistance provided.

Although cash assistance recipients were not a common target group for the STRIVE program, Westchester County staff determined that its strong focus on employment and on attitudinal and behavioral change gave it the potential to be an effective component of the county’s TANF program. This study documents Westchester County’s experience operating the STRIVE program for cash assistance recipients and provides lessons for others interested in the program.

• Westchester County implemented the STRIVE program largely as designed, following the national curriculum and receiving technical assistance from STRIVE International.
• Staff reported that a significant portion of the county’s cash assistance recipients who were mandatory for work were not eligible for STRIVE because they could not meet its attendance requirement. Common reasons for not being able to attend as required included part-time employment, court-mandated meetings, and substance abuse disorder treatment.
• Detailed information on a recipient’s needs and circumstances was needed to determine whether they were appropriate and eligible for the STRIVE program.
• The “no-show” rate for the STRIVE program was substantial: over half (56 percent) of those referred to STRIVE did not attend the workshop.
• Almost two-thirds (60 percent) of recipients who started the STRIVE program did not finish it because issues arose that prevented them from meeting its attendance requirement.
• STRIVE’s standard “confrontational” approach did not work well for some cash assistance recipients, resulting in some adjustments to “soften” the tone of the program.
• The aspects of the STRIVE curricula dedicated to improving cash assistance recipients’ attitudes and behaviors took more class time than generally recommended by STRIVE International.

Overall, the study indicates several factors that should be considered by program administrators interested in adopting the STRIVE program to improve employment outcomes for their cash assistance recipients.

• STRIVE’s stringent attendance requirement may not be appropriate for some cash assistance recipients;
• Specific training for staff to make the determination of whether a cash assistance recipient is eligible for STRIVE is needed;
• Potentially substantial “no-show” and drop-out rates should be considered in program implementation, costs, and scale; and
• Adaptations to soften the program’s standard “confrontational” tone and to spend more time on issues of attitude and behavior may be needed.

This implementation report focuses on the operation of the Westchester County STRIVE program from September 2016 through July 2017. The study is primarily based on a site visit in July 2017 to document the operation of the STRIVE program as well as changes made over time and successes and challenges in operating the program. On the site visit, the study team interviewed Westchester County program managers and staff and STRIVE managers and staff. The study also uses a review of STRIVE attendance records from September 2016 to May 2017.