One of Neighborhood Partnerships’ guiding principles is to strive for program excellence; we’re committed to programs that operate at their maximum impact and produce first-rate outcomes. To help us assess our impact, NP has contracted with principal investigator Dr. Diane Yatchmenoff at the Regional Research Institute for Human Services (RRI) at Portland State University for independent evaluations of Bridges to Housing and the Oregon Individual Development Account (IDA) Initiative, two of NP’s collaborative programs. RRI’s analysis has demonstrated what works to create valuable pathways of opportunity for low-wealth Oregon families, as well as guided us towards improvements and changes which could increase effectiveness.
Bridges to Housing is a four-county effort to stabilize families who are homeless and face barriers to success with affordable housing and other critical supports like case management to address family goals, training and child-care. RRI has been doing consistent evaluations of Bridges to Housing since 2007 by collecting and analyzing data on dozens of outcomes including stability in permanent housing; increased income, through employment and/or access to benefits; and for children increased stability in school or childcare. The Bridges to Housing evaluations show dramatic changes for many families. In addition to obtaining stable and safe housing for families, many parents have also made positive steps toward education or employment. Children showed important changes like improved success in school and better social skills. Read the full evaluations.
RRI also completed an evaluation in 2010 on the Oregon Individual Development Account (IDA) Initiative, a state wide program that matches savings for low-wealth Oregonians to develop greater financial stability through building financial assets, such as buying their first home, starting a business or going to school after high school for a degree or job skills. Click here for a full copy of the evaluation, which shows promising results in changing savings and financial habits as well as improving financial stability.
NP is committed to ongoing thoughtful evaluations of our work and appreciates the excellent resources that RRI and Dr. Yatchmenoff offer to help us and others learn from our experience. To learn more about PSU’s Region Research Institute, go to www.rri.pdx.edu.