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http://www.researchforum.org/project_general_143.html |
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Michigan Assemblies Project
General Information
View a brief abstract of this project.
| Evaluator(s) |
Groundwork for a Just World |
| Investigator(s) |
Davida McDonald
(Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study)
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| Domain |
Income Security/TANF |
| Status | Completed (final report released) |
| Duration | Nov 1997 - Dec 1998 |
| Type |
Research and/or Program Evaluation |
| Program/Policy Description |
Goal: The development of a citizen-based process to assist local areas to assess the status of the community's low income families, examine the barriers they face in their efforts to become self sufficient, and develop recommendations to improve welfare reform initiatives. Broad involvement of directly affected families was an integral part of the project design. Focus areas and scope of the inquiry: Transportation, child care, health care, work opportunities and skills, federal lifetime limits and family protections in state law; eleven local assemblies gathered information through an invitational hearing and a survey of families and community-based institutions; other geographic areas also participated in the surveys. Guiding principle: Promotion of family stability, child safety and movement of the family out of poverty guided assembly activities. |
| Notes | The project design gave significant voice to the perspectives of low-income families and community-based institutions on employment supports, and produced community-generated recommendations to support transitioning families helpful to policymakers and related institutions. The project could easily be replicated in other states. |
| Last Updated | 12/17/98 |
| Type of Summary | Unreviewed |
| Contact(s) |
Barbara Beesley
Groundwork for a Just World 11224 Kercheval (T) (313) 822-2055 (F) (313) 822-5197 |
| Submitter(s) |
Davida McDonald (mcdonald@radcliffe.edu)
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study 69 Brattle Street (T) (617) 496-3478 (F) (617) 496-2982 |
Populations Studied
| Target Population |
Recipients/participants/clients Former recipients ("leavers") |
| Subgroups Analyzed |
Children 1-6 |
| Sample Size and Unit | 1) 11 local assemblies generated information through invitational hearings involving families, resource persons in focus areas (sites selected by project advisory committee to represent urban, suburban, and rural areas); 2) 1,700 (self-selected) low-income families from 59 Michigan counties responded to family survey; 3) 500 (self-selected) community-based institutions with family service sites in 56 counties responded to institutional survey. Data collected in winter/spring 1998. |
| Execution | Not applicable. |
Sites Studied
Michigan: Detroit-Wayne County, Flint-Genesse County, Gladwin County, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Macomb County, Marquette-Upper Peninsula, Saginaw-Bay Counties, South Oakland County, and Traverse CountyProgram Components, Policies, and Activities Evaluated
Employment activities
Educational activities
Financial disincentives/Sanctions
Program requirements
Time limits
Social/Support services
Diversionary activities
Post-Program activities
Administration/Implementation
| Variation in program components across sites? | No |
Outcomes Assessed
Attitudes towards work, welfare, and program
Standard of living
Program implementation
Income security
Emotional well-being
Employment
Education
Policy changes
Types of Studies
| Type | Implementation/Process Study |
Data Sources
| Source | Survey |
Findings Available
Final Descriptive/Analytical FindingsRecommendations
Existing Publications
| 10/01/98 | Michigan Assemblies Project: How Families are Faring in Michigan's Local Communities. Findings and Recommendations of the Michigan Assemblies Project | GJW |
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