Our Advancing Strategies to Align Programs (ASAP) project helps state-level advocates increase enrollment in work support programs, including Medicaid and SNAP, through more integrated systems. There is strong evidence that work supports improve people’s immediate and long-term health as well as their educational and economic outcomes. Research also shows that receiving the full package of benefits—not just one program—is especially effective.
When we invest in young people, we break the cycle of poverty, spark our economy, and strengthen our nation’s future. However, 4 in 10 are low income, struggling to access education and employment that prepares them for success. The rate is even higher for youth of color, who are more likely to be disconnected from school and work, attend under-resourced schools, and encounter the criminal justice system as a result of structural. CLASP works at the federal, state, and local levels to break down barriers in education and employment, focusing on racial and gender inequity as well as promoting youth as community assets. We promote effective policy that centers youth voice and enables communities to create pathways out of poverty.