Creating a Modern and Responsive HHS System

14

Policy Priority 2: Achieving Gainful Employment and Economic Well-Being If there is anything that all of us have come to agree on it is that gainful employment is central to the American experience. Meaningful and sustainable employment is the surest way to economic well-being for ourselves and our families. Having a job, enjoying the many benefits that come from work, providing for one’s family, setting examples for our children, and looking forward to a secure retirement are among the top achievements we all aspire to. Moreover, gainful employment is one of our most essential building blocks for strong, healthy, and productive individuals and families. Public H/HS leaders have been at the forefront of initiatives to help make the experiences and benefits of gainful employment available to all. They are partnering with one another to: • Advance best practices, resources, and innovative solutions that will help move low- income individuals into initial jobs that have sustainable career pathways; • Leverage the knowledge and resources of the public, nonprofit, and private sectors toward these goals; • Identify and support public policies that provide the opportunities, resources, and flexibility needed to strengthen individuals, families, and communities through successful engagement in the workforce. Among the many programs that support work are the Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC), the child tax credit, nutritional assistance, child care, and child support collections. A significant opportunity in the employment arena is the integration of work-related services under TANF, SNAP, Department of Labor American Job Centers, and other programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Others include redesigned skills training offered by community colleges or through sector-based initiatives, direct job development, and placement services. Transitional and subsidized employment can provide important pathways toward success in the workplace, as can employment and training

opportunities for people with disabilities that enable their full inclusion in the workplace. Current approaches to connecting individuals to the workforce are spread across many programs and agencies and are typically judged not by meaningful employment outcomes but instead by compliance with process mandates. H/HS agencies across the nation are implementing comprehensive approaches to strengthen individuals and families and to support their sustained progress toward greater independence through meaningful employment. And this is not being done because it is a matter of law – TANF must meet certain work requirements – but because there is clear evidence that when an individual and family are able to support themselves through gainful employment, the family and ultimately the community benefits. Public health and human services leaders are advancing strategies and identifying partnerships that can help clients not only achieve gainful employment but move forward down a successful career path, which is vital to on-going success in the world of work. The Public Policy Solutions We Need Unfortunately, current programs and federal supports aimed at successfully moving H/HS customers into the workforce are often held back by requirements that focus too much on process compliance and too little on progress toward true self-sufficiency. Overlapping education, training, and employment preparation programs too often operate independently, do not allow for leveraging resources across sectors, and are frequently duplicative and inefficient. H/HS leaders are looking for opportunities to integrate policies, practices, and systems to better serve individuals. Aligning the existing collection of federal programs that address workforce engagement; building on what we know works to develop workforce skills; growing individual capacity; meeting the needs of the modern workplace; reducing barriers to sustainable employment; promoting asset building; linking the