Special Topics
Workforce Development:
Case Studies and Other Materials

Using a Self-Sufficiency Continuum as a Framework for Workforce Development. The number of low-income individuals and families (living at or below twice the federal poverty level) in Massachusetts and the nation is substantial, even though many of these individuals are working full-time. A research project conducted in 2002-2003 set out to better understand whether and how community action programs could help individuals get the kinds of training and other services that would lead to jobs that pay family-sustaining wages.

The following materials are the output from that project, which involved reviewing programs involved in helping people achieve economic self-sufficiency. Specifically, the study focused on workforce development services provided along a continuum consisting of several stages that working families move through, from the early stages of dependence, poverty, and low-income status to higher levels of economic self-sufficiency and prosperity. To the extent project resources allowed, additional dimensions of self-sufficiency (i.e., social, cultural, or civic) were also examined.

The research found support for the growing awareness among policymakers and practitioners that closer integration between community-based organizations and the workforce development system is necessary to move low-income individuals and their families from poverty to economic self-sufficiency.

The project team represented a unique partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Massachusetts Community Action Program Directors’ Association (MASSCAP), and Commonwealth Corporation with its research partner, FutureWorks. The project also received input from numerous community, workforce, and economic development agencies, including, but not limited to, the Massachusetts Workforce Board Association, the Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce, and the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations.

Principal funding for the project was provided by United States Department of Health and Human Services. Sponsor/co-funders included the National Center for Adult Learning and Literacy (Cambridge) and the Center for Law and Social Policy (Denver).

The following resource materials were developed as output from this project:

• Research & Evaluation Brief (pdf)
  (Highlights of the research project.)
• Case Study Report (pdf)
  (Primary output from the research project: Do You Know the Way to Self-Sufficiency? Using a Self-Sufficiency Framework to Guide Workforce Development Programs and Policies.)
• Program Profiles (pdf)
  (A companion document to the case study report: Community-Based Organizations That Deliver Workforce Education and Training Programs and Support Services.)
• Workbook on Using the Self-Sufficiency Continuum Framework (pdf)
  (A companion document to the case study report designed to help stimulate thinking on implementation of the framework.)
• Slide Presentation Based on the Case Study Report (ppt)
  (A summary of the case studies and findings from the research project, with discussion questions.)

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