Page 22

20

Two-Generation/Whole Family Pilot In FY23, the General Assembly appropriated $1,125,000 for a Community Action Network “Two Generation/Whole Family Pilot Project.

This continues funding in the same amount from the FY 2020 and FY2021 budget. The goal of this pilot project is to test and evaluate concepts and specific interventions that represent two- generation or whole family approaches to move families out of poverty in a variety of communities throughout the Commonwealth. VDSS intends to evaluate the pilot program and disseminate information about the results and impact of this multi-generational approach over a five-year period, releasing information and progress on the pilot annually. It is hoped that this pilot project will accelerate the development of two-generation or whole family strategies by increasing knowledge about what families need and what works.

• At the conclusion of the second year, 91 households and a total of 323 persons have been enrolled in the pilot project. In the second-year, sites collected data on family demographics, services, and outcomes. The Partnership collected customer satisfaction information from approximately 33% of participating families. This quantitative and qualitative data indicate that despite the pandemic sites have been able to retain families and help them move forward as evidenced by the following results: • Sixty-three percent of households participating are single-parent, female headed households. Forty-one percent of households enrolled in the pilot have incomes below 50 percent of the Federal Poverty Guideline (FPG), and for a family of three; this is an annual income of $10,980. Of the 91 households participating, 67 have employment income. • Families complete a Life Cycle assessment that looks at functioning across 15 domains. The first assessment and last assessment were compared and initial analysis of progress to date indicates average scores have increased in every domain. The largest gains are seen in the employment/income, financial management, and community involvement domains. Many of the sites have provided employment related supports, financial empowerment training, and credit repair which may have contributed to the increases in the employment/income and financial management domains. Pilot sites have also provided social capital building opportunities and mental health supports which may have helped to increase families' feelings of connectedness to others in the community.