An assessment of section 8 participants for the moving to work program 2008 by Thoughtbox

AN ASSESSMENT OF SECTION 8 PARTICIPANTS FOR THE MOVING TO WORK PROGRAM

PREPARED FOR The Charlotte Housing Authority

PREPARED BY Jennie-Ann Cole and Dawn Coleman The Center for Applied Research Central Piedmont Community College

November 24, 2008

Acknowledgements The Center for Applied Research would like to express thanks to the individuals and groups who supported and assisted in the completion of this survey process. Charlotte Housing Authority Special thanks to Troy White, Chief Operating Officer and Ellis Mitchell, Section 8 Director

And last, but not least, our thanks go to the Section 8 participants who took the time to complete the surveys.

AN ASSESSMENT OF SECTION 8 PARTICIPANTS FOR THE MOVING TO WORK PROGRAM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – NOVEMBER 2008 As part of its Moving to Work (MTW) program, the Charlotte Housing Authority (CHA) contracted with The Center for Applied Research to survey Section 8 participants to assess their ability to move towards independent living. This required gathering information on an array of indicators which address various components of selfsufficiency. Center researchers designed a 4-page data collection instrument which consisted of a series of 46 questions asking participants about their work situation, children and other family responsibilities, education, health, and other items to assess their ability to become self-sufficient and independent of the need for Section 8 assistance. Additionally, there was a section for elderly and disabled participants designed to gauge their mental and emotional health, particularly their social connectedness. Between June and October of 2008, Center researchers made an attempt to survey the 4,260 participants that receive Section 8 vouchers through the CHA. Of the 4,260 participants receiving Section 8 vouchers 525 participants are either elderly or disabled and receive SSI (Supplemental Security Income). As of October 15, 2008 3,294 participants had responded to the survey for a response rate of 77.3%.

KEY FINDINGS The results discussed here are based on the 3,294 participants who responded to the survey. Results have been analyzed separately based on whether a participant receives SSI or does not. Keep in mind that all responses are self-reported by the participants and that for some questions, the participants were allowed to choose more than one response and thus the percentages may not always total 100%. Of those surveyed who are not receiving SSI, 40% indicated that they were currently working. Of those working, the majority (52%) were working 30-40 hours per week. Another 25% reported working 20-29 hours per week,13% reported working 10-19 hours per week, 7% reported working 1-9 hours per week, and 3% reported working more than 40 hours per week. The most common barriers to getting or maintaining employment were health problems (28.1%), needing more training (18.1%), and “other” reasons not given as an option in

the question such as “just had a baby,” “trying to start my own business,” “looking,” “companies not hiring,” and “the economy.” Other obstacles to working were no transportation (14.1%) and no childcare (12.5%). Of the participants who reported that they were unemployed or not working, 56% had been unemployed more than 18 months, 7% for 13-18 months, 14% for 7-12 months and 23% reported being unemployed for 1-6 months. When asked the number of jobs held in the past year 39.3% reported none while 43.5% reported one, 14.3% reported two to three, 1.2% reported four to five and 1.7% reported more than five. Reported modes of transportation to work were as follows: Your own car (56.2%) Bus (22.3%) Ride with a friend or family member (8.4%) A borrowed car (3.4%) Walk (2.9%) Taxi (0.2%) Other (6.5%) In terms of education, 28% had a 9th to 11th grade education, 22.9% had high school diplomas and 7.9% had a GED. Other participants reported having some college or vocational school (27.6%), and 6.9% reported having an associate’s degree or vocational certificate. A total of 2.4% reported having a bachelor’s degree or higher. Another 10.7% of respondents were currently in college. When asked if they had any training or employment goals, 71% reported that they did. When asked about services they were interested in receiving, participants were most interested in the following: Computer training (62.1%) Help to attend college (55.2%) Help finding a job (49.1%) Job training (46.3%) Help getting their GED (30.2%) Help with learning to read (10.1%) In terms of family responsibilities, 14.3% of respondents indicated that they were responsible for caring for a disabled child and 11.7% said they were responsible for caring for a disabled family member other than a child.

Of those participants who have children, 9.8% have children who are in a pre-school, pre-kindergarten or Head Start program. Participants were also asked where their children were cared for during the day: 50.4% are in school during the day 11.6% stay at home with a parent 8% care for themselves during the day 5.7% stay in a family member’s home during the day 4.6% stay at home with an older child during the day 4.6% are in a daycare run by an agency 3.3% are in a high school diploma program 3.1% are in a privately run daycare 0.6% are in a daycare run by a church It should be noted that much of the surveying was completed during the summer when many of the students were out of school and this may have affected the results for this question. When asked about their financial circumstances: 54.8% reported having a bank account 18% reported that their utilities had been disconnected within the past 6 months because they could not afford to pay the bill 83.2% of the participants reported that within the past 12 months they worried about whether they would run out of money for basic items such as food, clothing, medicine or doctor’s visits 59.1% reported that within the past 12 months they had cut the size of their meals or skipped meals because there was not enough money for food. According to survey results, the majority of participants do not have a computer in their home. A total of 37.7% reported that they did have a home computer. In terms of transportation: 39.1% have their own cars. 23% use the bus. 16.9% ride with a friend or family when they need transportation. 5.2% walk as a mode of transportation. 4.2% use special transportation. 1.3% use a taxi. 12.9% reported having “other” modes of transportation.

Results from elderly and disabled participants who receive SSI were analyzed separately. They were asked the same series of questions to gauge their financial circumstances and family responsibilities. 90.9% reported working 0 hours while 9% reported working some hours during the week. 25.3% reported having an education level of 8th grade or less. 31.6% reported having an education level of 9th to 11th grade. 24.6% have received a high school diploma. 1.3% received a GED. 13.5% have some college or vocational school. 2.7% have an associateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree or vocational certificate. 1% have a Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree or higher. 3.7% are involved in community programs such as Vocational Rehabilitation or Urban League. 5.4% care for a disabled child and 15.7% care for a disabled family member. 62.4% reported having a bank account. 9.4% reported having their utilities disconnected within the past 6 months because the y could not afford to pay the bills. 14% reported having a working computer in their home. 42.1% reported worrying in the past 12 months that they would run out of money for basic items such as food, clothing, medicine or doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visits. 42% also reported that they cut the size or skip meals because there was not enough money or food. Elderly and disabled participants were also asked a series of questions to gauge their social connectivity: 67.3% see enough of their family and friends. 33.7% take part in efforts to improve their neighborhood. 44.9% participate in church/mosque/temple activities. 12.1% take part in local organizations/clubs/community groups. 8.8% do volunteer work in programs in the community. 68.8% reported having someone to help them with daily chores. 82.7% reported having someone to take them to the doctor. 60.5% reported having someone to help if they were confined to the bed. 32.7% reported it was very difficult to get to places outside of walking distance. 16.6% reported it was very difficult to get to the grocery store.

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 3 Survey Development ............................................................................................... 3 Survey Administration ............................................................................................ 4 Survey Processing ................................................................................................... 5 SURVEY RESULTS FOR NON-SSI PARTICIPANTS .................................................................. 7 Employment ............................................................................................................ 7 Education .............................................................................................................. 12 Family Responsibilities .......................................................................................... 14 Financial Circumstances ........................................................................................ 15 SURVEY RESULTS FOR SSI PARTICIPANTS ......................................................................... 19 SURVEY ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................. 29 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................... 25 APPENDICES Appendix A: Survey Instrument ............................................................................ 27 Appendix B: Cover letters ..................................................................................... 31 Appendix C: Postcards .......................................................................................... 35 Appendix D: Graphs of Survey Responses ............................................................ 39

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE OF THE ANALYSIS According to HUD, Moving to Work (MTW) is a program that allows public housing authorities (PHAs) to design and test ways to: Promote self-sufficiency among assisted families; Achieve programmatic efficiency and reduce costs; and Increase housing choice for low-income households. The purpose of the MTW program is to give PHAs and HUD the flexibility to design and test various approaches to providing and administering housing assistance that accomplishes three primary goals: Reduce cost and achieve greater costs effectiveness in Federal expenditures; Give incentives to families with children where the head of household is working, is seeking work, or is preparing for work by participating in job training, educational programs, or programs that assist people to obtain employment and become economically self-sufficient; and Increase housing choices for low-income families. An important component of the MTW program is the assessment of families being served by PHAs to measure their capacity for independent living and connect them with the services that can facilitate their progress toward that goal. Families living in housing units that are supported by PHAs fall into several categories: Elderly Many of the PHA participants who are elderly are single elderly women or families headed by an elderly person who is no longer able to work. These families will continue to need support and are likely beyond the ability to provide an independent living for themselves. Disabled Families with disabled individuals may fall into several categories. An individual may have severe disabilities that preclude their ability to work. A family may have a disabled member who requires constant care so that neither the disabled individual nor the caregiver can provide for their own independent living. Some disabled individuals, however, may be able to find gainful employment that can help to move them out of public or subsidized housing. Disabled individuals may have mental illnesses. The capacity of these individuals to hold down jobs will depend on the severity of the mental illness and the response to medication.

Non-Disabled, Working Age Families with individuals who are not disabled and are of working age are the most likely candidates for the Moving To Work Program. Individuals in these families may need further education or skills training to enable them to obtain and keep jobs that can support their families. They may need child care, job training, transportation, career counseling or any number of other services. To assess the families living in its communities, the Charlotte Housing Authority (CHA) contracted with The Center for Applied Research to survey Section 8 participants in Charlotte. This document reports on the assessment process and its results. It details the project planning and survey development along with the results of the survey, an analysis of those results and conclusions based on this analysis.

METHODOLOGY To assess the ability of the families supported by the Section 8 program to move toward independent living, Center researchers gathered information on an array of variables which address many components of self-sufficiency. This information was gathered and analyzed by: Developing a survey instrument in collaboration with CHA staff; Mailing surveys to participants; Scanning completed paper surveys into Microsoft Excel; Completing data entry on any open-ended questions; Analyzing the survey response data in SPSS; and Preparing a report of the survey process and the analysis. Center staff worked with CHA staff to develop a survey instrument and letter to the participants explaining the surveying project. In total, there were four mailings to the participants sent between June 2008 and September 2008: two mailings that included a copy of the survey to complete and two mailings that consisted of reminder postcards. The schedule is outlined below: June 30, 2008: 4,374 letters, surveys and return envelopes mailed. August 1, 2008: 3,187 strongly worded reminder postcards mailed. August 21, 2008: 2,247 strongly worded reminder postcards mailed. September 2008: 1,670 letters, surveys and return envelopes mailed. Concurrently with the survey administration, completed surveys were scanned and processed into a survey database, using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. 525 families who receive SSI were removed from the general list and were processed separately. When all of the completed surveys had been scanned and processed, the results were analyzed and an interim report in the form of a power point was submitted to CHA staff on September 11, 2008. The schedule outline above provides a general overview of the process. In the following sections, each step in the process is explained in greater detail. Survey Development The Moving To Work assessment instrument was developed in consultation with CHA staff. The goal was to design a survey instrument that could measure capacity for independent living and gather data that would be useful in designing a work plan for each participant. The Section 8 assessment instrument was based on an instrument designed by the Center to assess CHA site-based public housing participants.

The survey instrument was developed through research and analysis of other questionnaires designed to measure capacity for independent living and functional status. Center staff reviewed surveys used by other housing authorities and instruments devised by psychologists and sociologists to assess self-sufficiency. Researchers also reviewed the Homeless Services Network THREADS assessment instrument, a locallydevised survey that is being used by Community Link for the Piedmont Courts HOPE VI families. Based on this research and review, originally Center staff developed a 12-page survey instrument that could be programmed into a Teleform Survey System for scanning into Microsoft Excel. Center staff then worked with staff from the Charlotte Housing Authority to condense this longer version down to a 4-page survey containing 46 questions. The survey consists of five sections: Employment and Education Family Responsibilities Financial Circumstances Elderly and Disabled Participants

Variables reported from the survey include: Work status Income of working population Barriers to finding, obtaining or keeping a job Education level Childcare arrangements Financial stability Social connectedness of elderly and disabled participants Primary mode of transportation Other needs reported by participants The final questionnaire contains 46 questions, the majority of which are multiple-choice style questions, some with the option of selecting â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and providing an alternative response. It also includes seven open-ended questions. A copy of the survey is included in Appendix A. Survey Administration The surveying was completed over a period of approximately 13 weeks from June 30 to October 1, 2008 via mail and online with two reminder postcards. A total of 3,294 participants out of 4,260 responded by mail and online for a response rate of 77.3%.

The majority responded by mailing back the paper survey but 547 participants did respond online. On June 30, 2008, the Center mailed all participants a letter from CHA, a copy of the survey, and a return envelope. Because the initial list of participants contained duplicates, a total of 4,374 surveys were sent. A copy of the letter is included in Appendix B. On August 1, 2008, the Center mailed a reminder postcard to 3,187 participants who had not yet responded to the first mailing. A second reminder postcard was mailed on August 21, 2008. A copy of the postcard is shown in Appendix C. On September 15, 2008, the Center sent a second letter with a copy of the survey and a return envelope to 1,670 participants who had not responded. A copy of this letter is included in Appendix D. Survey Processing Although the use of scanning software minimized the time needed to process the surveys, readying the surveys for analysis required an extensive six-step process. 1. When the completed surveys were returned to the office by the participants, they were checked off a participant database to track the level of response throughout the surveying process. 2. The participantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; T-codes were then entered onto the surveys so that responses could be linked to participantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; names and to confirm the receipt of completed surveys by participant and by housing unit. T-codes are the identification number used by CHA for each participant who receives a Section 8 voucher. 3. Center researchers then reviewed the surveys individually to check that the survey was completed properly and to report any immediate concerns to CHA. 4. The T-coded surveys were then scanned into an Excel file and verified to ensure the accuracy of scanning. 5. Because the software is unable to read responses to open-ended questions, those responses had to be keyed by hand into a separate Excel spreadsheet, along with the associated T-code. 6. Once all surveying was complete, the scanning file and the data entry file were combined into SPSS based on T-codes. The original participant list provided by CHA was also merged into this file. This multi-step system enabled Center researchers to maintain quality control over the completed surveys and the data processing. The use of SPSS provided an additional tool for verification and enabled researchers to conduct an analysis of more than 46 variables.

When combining the surveying files from the four different mailings, an effort was made to find those participants who completed the survey twice. When a duplicate was found, the most incomplete survey was removed so the answers would not be processed twice. It should also be noted that a number of manual adjustments to survey responses were made in an attempt to better maintain consistency and compensate for respondent error such as marking multiple responses to a question when one response was allowed. For example, question 6 asks “how do you get to work?” and to please check one response. In many cases, numerous answers were marked. Center evaluators would change the response to “other” and manually add all of the answers marked. On other questions, such as one regarding education level, if a participant indicated they had completed 9th to 11th grade and also marked High School diploma, the answer was changed to reflect High School diploma. Every effort was made to maintain the integrity of the data while ensuring the consistency of responses. There are approximately 4,260 families that receive Section 8 vouchers from the Charlotte Housing Authority and 525 of these families receive SSI. Survey results were processed separately based on whether a participant received SSI or not to portray the data most accurately.

SURVEY RESULTS FOR NON-SSI PARTICIPANTS As mentioned above, survey results were analyzed based on the SSI status of a participant so that the data more accurately reflected the needs of each group. Following is a summary of some of the key findings for non-SSI participants as a result of the surveying process. A break-down of all survey responses can be found in Appendix G. It should be noted that survey responses were self-reported by the participants so the answers may not truly reflect the reality of the situation. Employment Participants were first asked about their current work situation and their responses to this question determined which of the additional survey questions they would answer. A majority of the participants (60%) reported working 0 hours per week, 3% reported working 1-9 hours per week, 5% reported working 10-19 hours per week, 10% reported working 20-29 hours per week, 21% reported working 30-40 hours per week and 1% reported working more than 40 hours per week.

If a participant was not working they were asked why they were not working. The most common response was health problems, indicated by 28.1% of respondents. Respondents were allowed to check multiple responses and 18.1% said they needed more education or training, 14.1% said not having transportation was an obstacle, 12.5% indicated no childcare, 2% said they did not know how to find a job, 3.7% are in college, 3.9% reported a criminal background, and 22.5% reported “other” as a reason for not working. Responses marked in the “other” box included “just had a baby,”

“company’s not hiring,” “the economy,” “was laid off,” “on dialysis,” and “just had surgery.”

If a participant reported not having a job, they were asked how long they had been unemployed. As shown below, 56% reported being unemployed for more than 18 months, 7% reported being unemployed for 13-18 months, 14% reported being unemployed for 7-12 months and 23% reported being unemployed for 1-6 months.

When asked how they usually got to work, a majority said that they use their own car (56.2%). As seen in the chart below, 8.4% said they rode with a friend or family member, .2% take a taxi, 2.9% walk to work, 3.4% use a borrowed car and 22.3% take

the bus. Another 6.5% answered â&#x20AC;&#x153;otherâ&#x20AC;? which typically meant they used multiple modes of transportation.

Participants who are working were also asked how long they had worked at their current job. Responses varied from 2 weeks to 20 years with a majority of responses landing between 1 and 4 years. They were also asked what their hourly pay rate was at their current job. These responses varied from $3.13 an hour to $17.98 an hour with a majority of the responses being between $7 and $10 per hour. Participants who were working were asked if they would lose their jobs if they had to miss work for several days because of illness. A majority of respondents (67%) reported they would not lose their job due to illness.

Participants who were working were asked how many jobs they had in the past year. The most common response was one job (43.5%) followed by 14.3% who had two to three jobs, 1.2% who had four to five jobs and 1.7% who had more than five jobs.

Participants were asked what things make it hard for them to look for a job that would increase their earnings. Some of the responses are listed below: Have artery blockish in legs little to no training knowledge not on the bus line and do not drive or have a car. not enough time in the day a high school diploma My health is not very well currently early childhood education is the field I have ever worked in. I would need to take classes to be able to increase earnings in another field. Lack of computer training, and job vocational training, I need help to attend college and proper contact and communication, transportation, home computer. transportation, skills, computer need more education background issues my many medical conditions I'm waiting for disability determination letter. daycare and me wanting to obtain my associate's degree for nursing. I can't afford childcare or after school care. not enough education Not having my high school diploma; no childcare, no transportation education and not having money for transportation my eye sight is very poor 10

having to take the bus I didn't have a running car. My transmission went out and it was costly to repair it. Bus transportation doesn't run on weekends to my area. credit rating, can't be bonded, not bi-lingual need computer, limited skills, time, childcare Education, Computer Skills I need to have a degree. I have worked in the Medical field in the past. I feel if I had a degree in Medical Office Asst. I could make more money. At this particular time I've been sick. Not saying I will not work. Theres nothing wrong with working. my criminal background daycare, better care of transportation no training in other field Have 7 children ages from 8 mo to 10. One child is handicapped with severe CP. Also have no transportation and not on busline. When asked if they had any training or employment goals, a majority (71%) responded yes as seen below.

When asked what these training or employment goals were, responses ranged from wanting to own their own business to getting more education and training. Some responses included: to one day own and operate my own salon. I'm currently attending school for child care. computer training, my goal is to get my HS Diploam so I can become a C.N.A. to use my communications arts degree in the next year 11

I am taking online classes through cpcc to get my associates degree in early childhood education. I would like to enroll at CPCC to upgrade my skills and is very much interest in computer training program would like to train in the Health Care Field. CNA, CPR certified, medical technology -- would like to be a loan officer in a mortgage co or go back to school for RN or LPN license. I've had employment training along with being a caregiver. I would love to get my GED and become an CNA. Those are my goals. clerical clerks, work with special education children. graduated from community culinary school, culinary arts cerificate, to work in field industry. I plain to attend college for a degree when I get finaceal aid customer service and keybaording, would like to do medical records one day. Education In terms of education, 32.2% of respondents do not have a high school diploma or GED. 4.2% had an 8th grade level of education or lower. 28.0% had a 9th to 11th grade level of education. 30.8% had their high school diploma or GED. 27.6% had some college or vocational schooling. 6.9% had an associateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree or vocational certificate. 2.4% had a Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree or higher.

10.7% of respondents were currently in college or vocational school as seen below. 12

Participants were asked about their involvement with community programs such as Vocational Rehabilitation or the Urban League. 6.7% reported any involvement with community programs.

Participants were asked about services and training that they might be interested in receiving. The service in most demand is computer training with 62.10% reporting they “need or want this.” Respondents also reported they “need or want” help attending college (55.2%), job training (46.3%), help with learning to read (10.1%), help with getting a GED (30.2%), and help with finding a job (49.1%). 13

Family Responsibilities Participants were also asked about their family responsibilities. In terms of disabled family members, 14.3% indicated that they were responsible for caring for a disabled child and 11.7% were responsible for caring for a disabled family member other than a child.

Participants who had children were asked if they had any children participating in a preschool, pre-kindergarten, or Head Start program. Almost 10% of respondents did have children in one of these programs.

Participants who have children were also asked where their children are cared for during the day. Half of the respondents (50.4%) reported that their children are in school during the day.

Financial Circumstances Participants were asked a series of questions about their financial situation. The first question asked if they had a bank account. The majority (54.8%) reported that they do have a bank account.

Participants were asked if any of their utilities had been disconnected within the past 6 months because they could not afford to pay the bills. Almost 20% of the respondents reported yes.

Participants were asked about their general mode of transportation. The most common response was their own car (39.1%), followed by 23% who use the bus, 16.9% who ride with a friend or family, 4.2% who use special transportation, 2.5% who walk and 1.3% who take a taxi. The 12.9% that reported â&#x20AC;&#x153;otherâ&#x20AC;? reflects that the respondents use numerous modes of transportation not just one.

When asked if they have a working computer in their home, 37.7% of the respondents reported that they do have a working computer in their home.

If they did not have a computer in their home, participants were asked where the closest access was. The majority of participants reported that the closest access for them was the public library. Other answers included a family memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house, school or work. Participants were asked if, in the past 12 months, they ever worried about whether they would run out of money for basic items such as food, clothing, medicine or doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visits. The majority (83.2%) answered yes.

Participants were also asked if, in the past 12 months, they had cut the size of meals or skipped meals because there was not enough money or food. The majority (59.1%) answered yes.

SURVEY RESULTS FOR SSI PARTICIPANTS Elderly and disabled participants were asked a series of questions designed to gauge their social involvement as well as their financial circumstances. The majority of participants (90.9%) who receive SSI reported not working at all, but 9.1% reported working at least some hours each week.

These participants were also asked for their level of education. The majority (56.9%) did not have a GED or high school diploma.

Participants were asked about their involvement in community programs such as Vocational Rehabilitation or the Urban League. 3.7% reported yes.

Participants were asked if they responsible for caring for a disabled child and 5.4% reported they were responsible for caring for a disabled child. Participants were also asked if they were responsible for caring for a disabled family member other than a child and 15.7% reported yes.

Participants were asked if they had a bank account, and 62.4% responded yes.

Participants were asked if any of their utilities had been disconnected within the past 6 months because they could not afford to pay the bills. Almost 10% reported yes.

Participants were asked what was their general mode of transportation and 24.8% reported their own car while 28.3% reported riding with a friend or family.

Participants were asked if they had a working computer in their home. 14% answered yes.

Participants were asked if in the past 12 months they ever worried about whether they would run out of money for basic items such as food, clothing, medicince or doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visits and 69% answered yes.

Participants were asked if in the past 12 months they every cut the size of meals or skipped meals because there was not enough money or food and 42% answered yes.

Participants were asked how difficult it is for them to get to places outside of walking distance and 38% replied that is was not difficult.

Participants were asked how difficult it is for them to get to the grocery store and 54.5% reported that it was not difficult.

Families that receive SSI were asked a number of questions to assess their levels of social connectedness. 67.3% reported seeing enough of their friends and family 33.7% reported they had taken efforts to improve the neighborhood 44.9% reported that they participated in church, mosque or temple activities 12.1% reported they were a part of a local organizations, clubs or community groups 8.8% reported doing volunteer work in programs in the community 68.6% reported having someone to help them with daily chores 82.7% reported having a ride to the doctor if they needed it 60.5% reported having someone to help them if they were confined to the bed.

CONCLUSIONS Based on the responses to the survey reported above, it is clear that many Section 8 participants need extensive assistance to lead more productive and organized lives as the first step on the road to self-sufficiency. The vast majority of participants have several primary and secondary needs that must be addressed before they could even become eligible for the Moving to Work program. Many participants expressed a willingness to work but indicated that there were various barriers to gaining or maintaining employment. The most common barriers were health problems, transportation and child care issues and a lack of work experience and education. Other reported needs included: 62.1% of respondents wanted computer training 46.3% or respondents wanted job training 55.2% of respondents wanted help to attend college 49.1% of respondents wanted help finding a job or a different job 30.2% of respondents wanted help getting their GED 10.1% of respondents wanted help learning to read A large number of families reported not having a bank account (45.2%) and worries about running out of food and money for basic needs (83.2%). A large number also reported reducing the size of meals or cutting out meals all together for fear of running out of food or money (59.1%). Of the families that receive SSI, 69.2% worried they would run out of money for basic needs and 42.1% skipped or reduced the size of their meals because they were scared they would run out of food or money. In regards to their social connection, a majority have a ride to the doctor and someone to help them if they need it. Addressing the needs highlighted above and providing resources for participants to help them deal with these needs is the first step in building self sufficiency and moving families to work and independent living.

APPENDIX A SURVEY INSTRUMENT

APPENDIX B COVER LETTERS

APPENDIX C POSTCARDS

APPENDIX D GRAPHS OF SURVEY RESPONSES FOR NON-SSI PARTICIPANTS

APPENDIX D GRAPHS OF SURVEY RESPONSES FOR SSI PARTICIPANTS

If you have any questions about this report, please do not hesitate to contact: Jennie Ann Cole Senior Research Analyst The Center for Applied Research PO Box 35009 Charlotte, NC 28235-5009 704-330-6688 (phone) 704-330-6013 (fax)