Systems Working Together to End Homelessness: WIOA and HUD Combined State Planning

“This brief provides homeless services stakeholders with ideas for leveraging the combined state planning process to support the employment needs and interests of homeless jobseekers. The WIOA Planning & Implementation Toolkit provides additional tools to help stakeholders ensure that the public workforce system under WIOA increases employment and economic opportunity for jobseekers facing barriers to employment, including homeless jobseekers” (p.1).

“The passage and implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) has the potential to catalyze efforts in local communities and states to address the employment needs and interests of a greater share of adults, youth, and families who are unstably housed or experiencing homelessness. WIOA modernizes the federal framework that guides America’s public workforce system. The law prioritizes and acknowledges the need for workforce services and supports for adults and youth facing barriers to employment—including homeless jobseekers—to a greater degree than its predecessor, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). WIOA also provides flexibility to implement promising practices for connecting chronically unemployed individuals to work. WIOA articulates that one of the goals of the public workforce system is to prepare individuals—especially individuals facing barriers to employment—to succeed in the labor market through increased access to employment opportunities, education, training, and support services. Homeless jobseekers are defined as one of the populations of individuals facing barriers to employment. Subsequent federal guidance instructs the public workforce system under WIOA to prioritize and direct resources to serve low-income adults and out-of-school youth” (p.5).

(Abstractor: Author)

The report provides recommendations for homeless service providers and stakeholders that can potentially improve access to employment opportunities for people experiencing homelessness. These include: “Homeless service system stakeholders—particularly Continua of Care and community based homeless service providers—should approach public workforce system leaders and ask to be involved in WIOA planning efforts. Stakeholders should target local and state chief elected officials, local and state WIOA board leaders, and relevant state and local agencies responsible for WIOA services” (p.10). “Neither the WIOA system nor the homeless services system can accomplish the goal of increasing access to employment, education, training, and support services for homeless jobseekers on its own. If their state is not already doing so, stakeholders in the homeless services system should urge their state to engage in WIOA combined state planning with HUD-funded employment services. Stakeholders should encourage relevant lead agencies responsible for HUD-funded employment services to get involved” (p.11). “Homeless services stakeholders should engage local and state WIOA planners and those responsible for shepherding WIOA plans to encourage the inclusion of purpose statements in local and state plans that mirror the federal WIOA legislative goal around expanding access to employment opportunities, education, training, and support services for adult and youth jobseekers facing barriers to employment” (p.12). (Abstractor: Author and Website Staff)

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2015
• Author(s): Young, Melissa.
• Organizational Author(s): Heartland Alliance National Initiatives on Poverty & Economic Opportunity
• Funding Source: Funding source not identified
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Justin Venneri
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies