Working Poor Families Project

About this grant

The Working Poor Families Project was created to address the needs of the working poor. In every state, a significant number of working families cannot earn enough to meet basic needs. This situation occurs, in large part, because many individuals do not have the basic educational competencies and occupational skills necessary to obtain family-supporting jobs. However, state governments oversee a number of policies and resources that can address this situation, including federally financed programs.Using a framework of indicators to assess whether states are prepared to assist working poor families in becoming economically self-sufficient, particularly in the context of achieving success in the labor market, the Working Poor Families Project was launched in 2002 in five states: Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, Texas and Wisconsin. In 2003, the project added the states of Colorado, Kentucky, Illinois, Maryland and Massachusetts, followed by California, Maine, New York, Ohio and Washington in 2004. Connecticut, Iowa, New Mexico and North Carolina were added in 2005. Funding will enable the project to help three to four more states to apply the framework of indicators to their workforce development system and continue the work of 12 to 15 previously supported states so that they may update their findings or focus more in-depth on key policy areas.Brandon Roberts + Associates is a respected consulting firm and a newly formed Limited Liability Corporation in Maryland.