Project Description
Opportunity NYC (ONYC) Work Rewards is one of three distinct programs in a $63 million pilot conditional cash-transfer initiative. ONYC Work Rewards is also known as the NYC Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program.
Work Rewards targets working-age adults who have a household income under 130 percent of the federal poverty line and who receive Section 8 housing. Adults are eligible for program participation if they meet certain workforce-related conditions: sustain full time employment, participate in approved education or job training while working either full or part time, and have eligibility extended to all community districts across New York City.
This evaluation tested the impact of monetary incentives tied to workforce activities and an enriched FSS program. The conditional cash transfers (CCTs) were compared to other self-sufficiency strategies.
DIR administered a 50-minute survey in English and Spanish, using both CATI and field locating. Members of three groups were interviewed: the FSS program (intervention) group, the Work Rewards + FSS (intervention) group, and the control group.