Data and Outcomes
CWU’s Research and Innovation Department continually evaluates our work, tracking outcomes and measuring program performance. By closely monitoring our programs and incorporating client feedback, we endeavor to develop replicable models, establish best practices, and share lessons learned in order to broaden the impact of our success.
CWU bases its approach to helping families overcome poverty on its Bridge to Self-Sufficiency™ theory of change model. This model posits that an individual must attain explicitly defined objectives in five areas—family stability, well-being, education and training, financial management, and employment and career management—in order to achieve economic self-sufficiency. We document clients’ experiences and progress and our own efforts according to these categories.
View Recent CWU Program Outcomes Below
Family Stability Outcomes
- 70 families exited CWU housing programs into permanent housing (through subsidies, Flex Funds, Home Base, Section 8, or Public Housing)
- 99% of families engaged with Stabilization services have maintained their permanent housing 12–18 months after placement
- CWU programs directly served 565 children through its Housing and Family Support Services programs
Well-being Outcomes
- 61% of adults exiting CWU programs reported an increase in their social network as a result of participation in CWU programs
- Social Networks are a critical component in one’s journey across the Bridge to Self-Sufficiency. The goal is to develop a social network that can be relied upon as a consistent source of support toward one’s mobility goals as well as to serve as a mentor and advance the goals of others. In CWU’s CFO program, Bridge Groups are a means of utilizing social networks to support participant mobility goals. This year CFO’s have formed 5 distinct Bridge Groups which span four pillars of the Bridge. 46% of active CFOs are participants in at least one “Bridge” Group.
Education and Training Outcomes
- 18 students graduated with their GED during FY12! CWU’s GED pass rate of 90% exceeds the Massachusetts pass rate of 65%!
- Of Healthy Families parents who have previously graduated from high school or from a GED program, 67% were enrolled in higher education or other training. CWU’s Healthy Families program achieved the highest success rate in the state in this measure.
- 77% of GED Alumni enrolled in an education training program or became employed within six months of graduation; 80% of Woman to Woman participants were enrolled in an education/ training program or were employed at the time of graduation.
Financial Management Outcomes
- CFO program participants have saved a total of $47,115.51 into their Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). Their savings will be matched by CWU at program completion.
- 71 participants engaged in the Matched Savings Opportunity initiative. 61% made progress or qualified for their savings match.
- 60% of female head of households have bank accounts. In comparison, nationallyonly 26% of female headed families with children living in extreme poverty (below 50% of the federal poverty line) have bank accounts. {“Asset Poverty and Debt Among Families with Children”, National Center for Children in Poverty, February 2010.}
Employment and Career Management Outcomes
- On average, employed adults experienced an 85% increase in their wages at program exit.
- The average wage for employed CFOs is $19.72—2.5 times greater than the minimum wage in Massachusetts and 68% of the way towards economic self-sufficiency.
- 73% of adult participants were either employed and/ or enrolled in an education/ training program during FY12
