Panel Paper: Work First Works for Single Homeless Men

Saturday, November 8, 2014 : 2:05 PM
Enchantment Ballroom B (Hyatt)

*Names in bold indicate Presenter

Swati Desai1, Andrew Silverstein2, Zhifen Cheng3, Eileen Lynch Johns3 and Ellen Howard-Cooper4, (1)Rockefeller Institute of Government, (2)City University of New York, (3)NYC Department of Homeless Services, (4)NYC Department of Homeless Services
The New York Department of Homeless Services with the New York City Human Resource Administration conducted the REMA pilot program as a test of addressing homelessness through intergovernmental collaboration, improving access to mainstream programs, and increasing employment for people experiencing homelessness.  The REMA pilot provided employable entrants into the Bedford Atlantic Shelter with increased case management and recruitment to apply for mainstream benefits and participate in a job search program.  This report evaluates the effectiveness of the pilot program on participants from the Bedford Atlantic Shelter from March 2011 to December 2011 as compared to a control group from another shelter, Keener, during the same period.  The analysis controls for non-random assignment to the treatment groups and finds that the program participants were more likely to apply for mainstream benefits; more likely to participate in employment programs and in the post period were more likely to be employed and used less mainstream benefits. The pilot program had no effect on wages and increased shelter stay.  This report explores the relationship of increased employment and increased shelter stay; and finds shelter stays decrease after quarterly earnings surpass a critical level of $10/ hr. Given the current discussion of increasing minimum wage both at the federal and state level, this analysis leads to important policy issues.