Download the Full Evaluation Report

Download the Executive Summary

Download the Supplement: PITW Subcontractors

View the press release 

The State of Illinois Department of Human Services and Heartland Human Care Services seized on an unprecedented opportunity provided by a fund in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to create the subsidized work-relief program, Put Illinois to Work, in response to the devastating effects of the recession on Illinois communities.

PITW is targeted at low-income unemployed and underemployed Illinoisans and was designed to provide paid work experience to help them support their families while gaining job skills and making professional connections. Since April, PITW has become the largest program of its kind in the nation, putting over 27,000 low-income, unemployed and underemployed Illinoisans to work.

The Social IMPACT Research Center was commissioned to document and evaluate PITW’s program model, outcomes, and impacts. This early report gives a brief overview of the program, explores an initial round of outcome data, and presents feedback from PITW workers and employers. Subsequent reports will present a fuller picture of outcomes, explore the details of and lessons learned from PITW’s development and implementation, and assess in much greater detail the impact of the program on the lives of the workers and on the stability and viability of Illinois businesses.

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