Does GAIN increase the self-sufficiency of CalWORKs families in Los Angeles?

REPORT: Does GAIN increase the self-sufficiency of CalWORKs families in Los Angeles?  

TECHNICAL APPENDIX: Does GAIN increase the self-sufficiency of CalWORKs families in Los Angeles?

Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) is California’s version of the Welfare-to-Work program. As such, it is also a mandated part of the California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) cash-assistance program for individuals who are physically able to work. The goal of GAIN is to lift families out of poverty by improving their labor-market outcomes so that cash welfare is no longer needed. However, whether GAIN improves participants’ employment and earnings outcomes enough to be self-sufficient has not been assessed for over 20 years.

In partnership with the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) in Los Angeles, this study assesses whether GAIN increases the self-sufficiency of CalWORKs families in Los Angeles. We focus on first-time CalWORKs participants to capture the full experience of individuals engaging with the program – from enrollment to services received. We focus on participants from Program Year (PY) 2017 who have a history of labor earnings prior to entering the program. We first describe participants’ experiences with the program, and we then compare labor market outcomes for GAIN participants to similar individuals who receive food assistance (CalFresh) but who were not enrolled in CalWORKs.

Suggested Citation: Santillano, R., Mannino, P., Sow, P., (2024). Does GAIN increase the self-sufficiency of CalWORKs families in Los Angeles? California Policy Lab, University of California. https://capolicylab.org/does-gain-increase-the-self-sufficiency-of-calworks-families-in-los-angeles/