Transportation Initiative: Evaluating the Impact of Expanded Transportation Support Services on Community Service Office Outcomes

The Transportation Initiative (TI) was a legislatively funded pilot program implemented that sought to remove transportation-related barriers to financial independence for WorkFirst clients. This evaluation examines the impact of TI pilot participation on aggregate outcomes for the 16 Community Services Offices (CSOs) that entered the TI pilot in February 2019 relative to a comparison group of non-participating CSOs. Outcomes include changes in WorkFirst caseload and work participation, employment, and sanction rates. Descriptive information comparing changes in TS service expenditures and estimated penetration rates between the pre- versus post-periods is also provided. A companion report provides summary information on the $2 million spent on TI program service and voucher expenditures and TI client characteristics from January 2016 through June 2019.