Catholic Charities' Neighbor to Neighbor: Preliminary Findings of a Faith-Based Initiative

A faith-based welfare-to-work program infused spiritual content throughout a 14-session group intervention to improve client self-sufficiency. To study the effectiveness of the program, investigators measured participant self-ratings on 12 self-sufficiency skills upon entry to and exit from the program, and documented goal attainment at six-month follow-up. Results showed that graduates reported statistically significant improvement in budgeting and goal-setting skills and an increased sense of hope and spiritual awareness. At follow-up most participants reported achieving at least one of four goals. The study demonstrates how faith-based programs can make spiritual content explicit and measure client outcomes.