The vast majority of homeless heads of household are unable to maintain steady employment, without which they cannot achieve self-sufficiency. Many of these parents, having never graduated from high school, need basic educational instruction before they can ever enter job-training programs. From there, intensive job placement and retention efforts are necessary to ensure stability and ongoing success.

Common Sense: Why Jobs and Training Alone Won't End Welfare for Homeless Families in America This report suggests that homeless families need more than vocational training. Homeless mothers lack the basic skills necessary to obtain and maintain gainful employment, and they require a supportive, educational environment to succeed in the future.

The Dollars and Sense of Welfare This informational pamphlet provides a nuts and bolts analysis of welfare reform's financial reality.

Job Readiness: Crossing the Threshold from Homelessness to Employment To serve homeless families effectively, job training programs must customize their services to address the specific problems these families face. Programs must first incorporate the crucial pre-training components of counseling, social services, and education in order to teach homeless heads-of-household the skills they need for employment.