Meeting the Multifaceted Needs of Expectant and Parenting Young Families Through the Pregnancy Assistance Fund.

INTRODUCTION: The Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF) program funds states and tribes to provide a wide range of services to improve health, social, educational, and economic outcomes for expectant and parenting teens and young adults, their children, and their families. This introductory article to the Maternal and Child Health Journal supplement Supporting Expectant and Parenting Teens: The Pregnancy Assistance Fund provides a description of the PAF program, including the program goals and structure, participants and communities served, and services provided; presents data on the reach and success of the program; and describes lessons learned from PAF grantees on how to enhance programs and services to have the best outcomes for expectant and parenting young families. METHODS: Performance measure data are used to describe the reach and success of the PAF program, and implementation experiences and lessons learned from PAF grantees were gathered through a standardized review of grantee applications and from interviews with grant administrators. RESULTS: Since its establishment in 2010, the PAF program has served 109,661 expectant and parenting teens, young adults, and their families across 32 states, including the District of Columbia, and seven tribal organizations; established more than 3400 partnerships; and trained more than 7500 professionals. Expectant and parenting teens and young adults who participated in the PAF program stay in high school, make plans to attend college, and have low rates of repeat pregnancy within a year. CONCLUSIONS: Expectant and parenting teens and young adults in the PAF program demonstrated success in meeting their educational goals and preventing repeat unintended pregnancies. In addition, the staff who implemented the PAF programs learned many lessons for how to enhance programs and services to have the best outcomes for expectant and parenting young families, including creating partnerships to meet the multifaceted needs of teen parents and using evidence-based programs to promote program sustainability.

An Evaluation of SOAR: Implementation and Outcomes of an Effort to Improve Access to SSI and SSDI.

OBJECTIVE: Accessing Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is challenging for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The federally funded SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR) project aims to improve access to SSI and SSDI through technical assistance (TA) to communities for promoting collaboration among agencies that serve this population and training professionals to assist people with applications. This study examined how SOAR TA has influenced community implementation efforts and the outcomes of these efforts. METHODS: Data were collected through site visits, a social network survey, and a management information system (MIS) in 13 states that began receiving TA in 2010 or 2011 and from Social Security Administration (SSA) administrative files on all applications (N=2,438,944) nationwide that were filed initially in fiscal year 2010. RESULTS: About 13% of trainees completed an application with the SOAR process. These trainees achieved a 73% approval rate for initial applications (including those approved after reconsideration), according to the MIS. Initial applications were approved almost twice as often among SOAR participants than among all homeless applicants (50% versus 28%), according to SSA. The odds of approval of the initial application were significantly higher (odds ratio=2.30) for SOAR participants compared with other homeless applicants, when other variables were held constant. CONCLUSIONS: Clients achieved better application outcomes when practitioners provided application assistance by using concepts from SOAR. However, training alone was not sufficient for successful SOAR implementation. Careful systems planning and dedicated staff resources are critical for improved outcomes.