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STEP Forward’s goal was to help cash assistance recipients and other low-income job seekers find local employment opportunities.  The program provided a subsidy to local employers for hiring participants and supported participants with counseling and weekly job fairs that connected them with employers.

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STEP Forward’s goal was to help cash assistance recipients and other low-income job seekers find local employment opportunities.  The program provided a subsidy to local employers for hiring participants and supported participants with counseling and weekly job fairs that connected them with employers.

Participants volunteered for the program and received job counseling and help preparing for interviews from their case managers. Case managers then identified job opportunities with partnered employers suited to the clients’ skills and interests and scheduled job interviews. Employers were given a monthly subsidy of $1,000 for up to five months for each participant they hired at the prevailing market wage for at least 25 hours of work per week. STEP Forward held weekly job fairs where participants could apply and interview for open positions. Staff also made referrals for educational and social services not provided by the program. The program provided services to its participants until they found jobs and did not provide follow-up services during employment. STEP Forward participants had either left Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, unemployment insurance, or other public assistance programs; were current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients; or were from households with an annual income no more than 200 percent of the poverty line. Participation was voluntary. STEP Forward was implemented in San Francisco, CA.

Year evaluation began: 2012
Implementing organization(s): HSA of San Francisco 
Populations and employment barriers:
Intervention services: Case management, Subsidized employment, Work readiness activities
Setting(s): Urban only

Effectiveness Rating and Effect By Outcome Domain

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Outcome domain Term Effectiveness rating Effect in 2018 dollars and percentages Effect in standard deviations Sample size
Increase earnings Short-term Supported favorable $3,451 per year 0.17 811
Long-term No evidence to assess support
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Increase employment Short-term Supported favorable 3% (in percentage points) 0.08 811
Long-term No evidence to assess support
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Decrease benefit receipt Short-term No evidence to assess support
Long-term No evidence to assess support
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Increase education and training All measurement periods Little evidence to assess support favorable 3% (in percentage points) 0.05 556
* This intervention was assessed as supported for this domain, meaning it achieved one or more statistically significant, favorable effects. However, the intervention has an average effect size that is unfavorable because the average includes all effects in this domain - both statistically significant and favorable effects and statistically insignificant but unfavorable effects.

Effectiveness rating key:

  • Well-supported Well-supported   
  • Supported  Supported   
  • Not supported  Not supported   
  • Mixed support  Mixed support   
  • Insufficient evidence  Insufficient evidence   
  • No evidence  No evidence
Effectiveness rating terms?

Studies of this Intervention

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Study Quality Rating Study Counts per Rating
High High 1