Ica Group Incorporated

A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ASSESSING IPS FOR FORMERLY HOMELESS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIESLEAD APPLICANT JUSTIN METCALFE, PH.D., WESTATMILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS OR TRANSIENTLY HOUSED IN SHELTERS OR INSTITUTIONS EACH NIGHT IN THE US, AND THE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO RISE. SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS AN EVIDENCE BASED APPROACH THAT PROVIDES SAFE, SHORT TERM HOUSING TO HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, PROVIDING THEM WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOVER THEIR HEALTH AND FUNCTIONING. BUT THESE INDIVIDUALS ALSO NEED COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT TO ACHIEVE LONG TERM HOUSING, INCOME, AND SELF SUFFICIENCY. THIS ICAP PROPOSAL WILL BE GROUND BREAKING AS THE FIRST US RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) TO COMBINE IPS SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT THE EVIDENCE BASED APPROACH TO EMPLOYMENT SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISABILITIES WITH SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. THE PRIMARY GOALS OF THE STUDY ARE TO HELP THESE INDIVIDUALS ACHIEVE COMPETITIVE INTEGRATED EMPLOYMENT AND SELF SUFFICIENCY, DEFINED AS WEEKS OF COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS. THE STUDY ADDRESSES TWO SSA PRIORITIES (1) OVERCOMING STRUCTURAL BARRIERS IN THE LABOR MARKET, INCLUDING THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH RACE, ETHNICITY, HOMELESSNESS, AND DISABILITY, THAT INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF PEOPLE RECEIVING OR APPLYING FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY INSURANCE OR SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME BENEFITS AND OTHER FORMS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND (2) PROMOTING SELF SUFFICIENCY BY HELPING PEOPLE GAIN AND SUSTAIN EMPLOYMENT OR RETURN TO THE LABOR FORCE.DUE TO CHARACTER LIMITATION, WE HAVE UPLOADED OUR REQUIRED THREE PAGE ABSTRACT AS ATTACHMENT C PER PAGE 22 OF THE SOLICITATION.

COUNTERING THE THREAT OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN ETHIOPIA

FY 2008 INTERCITY BUS SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM

INTERCITY BUS GRANT PROGRAM,

FY 2011 INTERCITY BUS SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM

EMPOWERING SOUTH AFRICAN EDUCATORS TO PROMOTE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH (STEM) AND CLIMATE CHANGE AWARENESS IN YOUNG CHILDREN.

THE TRANSITION EXPLORATION DEMONSTRATION (TED) WILL BE A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) OF AN EMPLOYMENT INTERVENTION FOR YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES WHO ARE TRANSITIONING INTO THE ADULT WORKFORCE. COMPARED TO THEIR PEERS WITHOUT DISABILITIES, FEWER WORK OR ENROLL IN POSTSECONDARY SCHOOL MANY OF THEM ENROLL IN PUBLIC WELFARE AND DISABILITY PROGRAMS AND OFTEN GO ON TO RECEIVE DISABILITY BENEFITS AS ADULTS.MATHEMATICA, THE PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION (OVR), AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLANDS CENTER FOR TRANSITION AND CAREER INNOVATION (CTCI) HAVE COLLABORATED TO DEVELOP THE TED INTERVENTION. IN BRIEF, A TRANSITION EXPLORER (TE)A SPECIALLY TRAINED OVR COUNSELORWILL DELIVER ENHANCED SERVICES IN ADDITION TO THOSE FROM A STANDARD OVR COUNSELOR. THE TE WILL HELP THE YOUTH FORMULATE CLEAR CAREER OBJECTIVES. IF THE YOUTHS CAREER GOALS ARE CONSISTENT WITH ENROLLING IN AN INTENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAM SUCH AS JOB CORPS, TES WILL CONNECT THE YOUTH TO THOSE PROGRAMS. TES WILL ALSO PROACTIVELY REFER YOUTH TO OTHER EMPLOYMENT SERVICES NEEDED TO ACHIEVE THEIR CAREER GOALSWHETHER PROVIDED BY OVR OR EXTERNAL PARTNERSAND TO NON-EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS AND SERVICES. BY FOSTERING CLOSE CONNECTIONS WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS AND WITH THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (SSA), THE TED WILL PROMOTE SYSTEMS CHANGE AND REDUCE SERVICE FRAGMENTATION. THIS CHANGE WILL HELP REFERRALS, COORDINATION, AND DATA SHARING BETWEEN PROGRAMS BECOME ROUTINE.THE TED WILL ENROLL ABOUT 700 YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES WHO ARE AGES 16 TO 24, LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA, AND HAVE NEVER HAD AN OPEN CASE WITH OVR. HALF WILL RECEIVE ENHANCED SERVICES FROM A TE (THE TREATMENT GROUP), AND THE OTHER HALF WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR STANDARD OVR SERVICES (THE CONTROL GROUP). OUTREACH AND RECRUITMENT EFFORTS WILL PRIORITIZE ASSISTING YOUTH FROM UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, RECRUITING PRIMARILY AMONG YOUTH WHO HAVE RECEIVED PRE-EMPLOYMENT TRANSITION SERVICES FROM OVR AND THOSE WHO HAVE INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS (IEPS) OR 504 PLANS WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA. ABOUT 87 PERCENT OF STUDENTS WITH IEPS IN THE DISTRICT ARE NON-WHITE AND 71 PERCENT ARE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED.THE PROPOSED DEMONSTRATION ADDRESSES FOUR OF SSAS PRIORITIES. IT AIMS TO (1) ELIMINATE STRUCTURAL BARRIERS IN THE LABOR MARKET THAT LEAD TO YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES, INCLUDING THOSE FROM UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, APPLYING TO FEDERAL DISABILITY PROGRAMS (2) PROMOTE SELF-SUFFICIENCY AND INDEPENDENCE THROUGH IMPROVED EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES (3) IMPROVE ADMINISTRATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION (VR) FOR YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES BY COORDINATING PLANNING BETWEEN OVR AND EXTERNAL PARTNERS AND (4) CONDUCT OUTREACH TO CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES WHO MIGHT BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME (SSI).THE TED BUILDS ON STRONG EVIDENCE FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES. FOR EXAMPLE, JOB CORPS PROVIDES EXTENSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE WORK-FOCUSED EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS TO TRANSITION-AGE YOUTH. ANALYSIS OF RCT DATA FROM THE NATIONAL JOB CORPS STUDY FOUND JOB CORPS INCREASED EARNINGS BY 30 PERCENT AND REDUCED SSI RECIPIENTS BY ABOUT 50 PERCENT FOR YOUTH REPORTING MEDICAL LIMITATIONS. OTHER SUPPORTIVE EVIDENCE COMES FROM THE PROMOTING READINESS OF MINORS IN SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME EVALUATION, A VR DEMONSTRATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN VERMONT, AND RESEARCH ON PROACTIVE REFERRALS TO NON-EMPLOYMENT SERVICES AND SUPPORTS. THE TED INTERVENTION BUILDS ON LESSONS LEARNED FROM THESE AND OTHER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS TO HELP YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES ACHIEVE THEIR CAREER GOALS.THE TED EVALUATION WILL USE A RANDOM ASSIGNMENT DESIGN THAT SUPPORTS UNBIASED ESTIMATION OF IMPACTS AND WILL GENERATE HIGHLY RATED CAUSAL EVIDENCE. IF SUCCESSFUL, IT WILL PROVIDE SSA WITH A MORE ROBUST EVIDENCE BASE THE AGENCY CAN EXPAND TO OTHER STATE VR AGENCIES AND EXTERNAL PARTNERS, SUCH AS STATE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION AND LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

INTERCITY BUS SECURITY GRANTS