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Michigan Job Search Assistance Evaluation

Karin Martinson, Karen Gardiner, Eleanor Harvill, and Rachel Cook

Report

August 12, 2020

This report describes the implementation and impact study findings from an evaluation of the relative effectiveness of two approaches to assist cash assistance applicants and recipients in finding and keeping jobs. The study of two Michigan counties compares the state’s existing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program focused on participation in work activities with an enhanced version that provides goal-oriented coaching. The study did not detect impacts on employment rates, earnings, or cash assistance receipt, though recipients in the enhanced program reported increased self-efficacy.