Western Regional Office

1. Western Regional Office Washington State E&T Model an Overview Nick Espinosa Employment & Training Team Leader Kevin Pasquaretta Employment & Training Program Specialist December 2013

2. Program History • Prior to 2005, Washington’s E&T program was focused on serving mandatory ABAWDs living in the Seattle / King County area. • ABAWDs in other parts of the State were covered under ABAWD waivers or exempted due to lack of services and remoteness. • Program services were limited to Job Search and Workfare, provided under contract from the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD). • The total program budget was barely over $250,000 per year, and there was no outcome data available.

3. Program Changes • The program changed in 2005 as part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Making Connections Initiative in the White Center neighborhood of Seattle. • E&T catalyzed a partnership of governmental, educational and private organizations to help SNAP recipients find work as part of the project. • Originally the partnership consisted of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), one community college and 5 community based organizations (CBO). • Today the program operates statewide through a network of State and private partners, including all 34 colleges in the State, and 28 CBOs. The total program budget for FY 2014 is $29,629,877

4. Program Funding • “Third Party Match” model of funding. • Partners use State, local and private funds to provide E&T components and allowable services. For example: • Colleges use “Opportunity Grants” allocated by the Legislature. • CBOs like the Seattle Jobs Initiative use funds from the City of Seattle. • Other CBOs use private foundation or charitable funding. • Partners are reimbursed 50% of all allowable costs. • Bills are submitted monthly or quarterly with a match certification and a list of individuals served before reimbursement is issued. • All reimbursements are capped at the value negotiated by each partner’s individual contract with DSHS.

5. Service Delivery Model • Washington operates a voluntary E&T program. • Services are provided through performance based contracts. • Emphasis is placed on skill building programs and co-enrollments. • Components and services provided are: • Assessment • Case Management • Job Readiness • Basic Education • Vocational Education • Job Search • Job Placement • Support Services • Job Retention

6. Program Focus • Participants can request the components they wish to participate in, but the main emphasis is on skill building / training. • The program encourages participants to obtain one year of post secondary training or a certificate as the key to significant wage gains. • Wrap around services work in tandem with the skill building strategy, to prevent barriers from derailing a client’s progress towards educational goals and reaching the “tipping point”. • Some partners conduct sector analysis to determine which areas of the local economy are hiring, and then work with colleges to develop programs to fill those vacancies.

7. Program Referrals - DSHS SNAP Intake E&T Exempt Yes No Assessment & Discussion of Options Enter Exemption in eJAS Assign to Component and Code in eJAS Provider Intake / Referral Accepted Yes No Enter Closure Code in eJAS • Confirm Referral in eJAS. • Create IEP. • Provide Service. • Report Outcomes • Feedback Loop

8. Program Referrals - Providers Potential Client Identified SNAP Recipient / Potential Recipient No Yes Confirm SNAP Eligibility or Apply Serve Through other Programs If Applying – Follow DSHS Referral Process No Yes If Confirming - Contact E&T Coordinator DSHS Refers Client to Provider in eJAS Provider Assesses & Assigns Client to a Component in eJAS Feedback Loop / Ongoing Issues with Referral • Develops IEP. • Provides Service. • Reports Outcomes

9. Referral Tracking and Coordination • Referrals are made through the electronic Jobs Automated System (eJAS). • All partners have limited and secure web based access to the system to accept referrals, case manage clients, input component activities, maintain case notes, coordinate activities and report completions. • Each partner and their staff is issued an identifier code. This allows the State to track participation by service type and by partner agency. • eJAS data is downloaded into a database that can produce ad hoc reports about program services. eJAS is the primary source of data to complete the quarterly FNS-583 report and report program outcomes.

10. Sample eJAS Screen Shot

11. Outcome Tracking • Cohort Tracking – Participants are assigned to cohorts based on the quarter that they begin E&T participation. For example, a person who starts on November 5th becomes part of the FY 2014 Q1 cohort. • An analysis is conducted quarterly on each cohort to compile information about component participation and completions. • Cohorts are also matched with ESD on a quarterly basis to gather employment status and wage information. This is a best practice and key feature of Washington’s outcome tracking methodology. • All cohorts from current and past fiscal years are tracked on a rolling basis through a two-year cycle.

12. Outcome Reporting • In addition to the FNS-583 report, Washington provides quarterly reports on the following measures: • Entered Employments – Number (or percentage) of participants who enter employment during or after participation with the E&T program. • Average Wage – Average median wage of participants employed during or after participation with the E&T program. • Retention – Number of participants employed a year after leaving the E&T program. • Long Term Retention – Number of participants employed 2 years after participation in the E&T program. • Employment by Component – Breakdown of employment placements by service component. • Capacity to provide other ad hoc outcome reports.

13. Program Outcomes • An estimated 56,800 have been served by the program since 2005. • Over 42,200 received education and training through the State’s colleges. • About 17,650 received wrap around supports and services from CBOs. • At one year, the entered employment rate is 58% with median wage of $10.66 an hour. The medial wage for those receiving Vocational Education is up to $11.44 an hour. • At two years, the entered employment rate is 69%. • 1,900 participants achieved basic skills gains, and 1,500 earned their first 15 college credits in the 2011-12 academic year. • 950 obtained training certificates, degrees or completed apprenticeships that same year alone. • More than $42 million dollars has been brought to the State to support employment, education and training services.

14. Component Participation

15. Highlights of the Program • Successful public and private partnership with a common goal to assist SNAP recipients to achieve self-sufficiency. • Maximized community resources to serve a larger pool of SNAP recipients and provide employment supports. • Expanded the services available to recipients. • Created a co-enrollment approach to assist participants with barriers to participation. • Created partnerships with colleges to develop training programs within industry sectors. • Standardized the collection of outcome data, and analysis to evaluate the program and make improvements.

16. Program Requirements • Strong State and executive support. • Partners with common goals and the capacity to: • Serve a significant number of SNAP recipients, • Manage E&T program and fiscal requirements, and • Allowable sources of funding to use as match. • Dedicated State E&T program and fiscal staff. • Collaborative relationships with UI agency and educational institutions. • Strategic planning to increase self-sufficiency among SNAP recipients.

17. Implementation Recommendations • Start small • Identify partners that serve SNAP recipients and screen for administrative and funding capacity. • Engage FNS early in the development process. • Develop clear and consistent program and fiscal operating procedures. • Establish performance based contracts. • Plan regular program and fiscal monitoring. • Establish infrastructure and methodology to collect outcome data. • Provide hands on training and support for partner agencies. • Schedule regular meetings with partners to discuss issues, outcomes and plan future program development.

18. Questions? • Special Q&A break-out session on December 11th. • Please send any questions to: Nick.Espinosa@fns.usda.gov or by calling (415) 645-1902 • Additional resources can be found on the BFE&T web site at: www.basicfoodet.orgPassword: BFE&T Thank you and enjoy the training session!!!