THE EVIDENCE OF CIRCUMSTANCE

Padua® Pilot

The cost of poverty is carried by more than the poor. It robs society of productive potential. It wastes money on ineffective programs. It silences the voices of those with the most to say. We’re not interested in lukewarm solutions that focus on treating poverty symptoms at the expense of the people most affected. We aim to make the lives of others sustainably and meaningfully better.

That’s why we created Padua. In 2015, we launched a bold research initiative to pioneer a more effective solution to poverty. Our Padua Pilot rewrote the manual: A model centered on long-term, holistic case management services that address the interconnected causes of poverty and serve the unique needs of each family. It’s relationship-based. It’s client-led. And it’s working.

Moving beyond one-off programmatic interventions, Padua is designed to support clients across all areas that contribute to long term growth and success.

It’s not enough to simply believe ending poverty is possible. We have to find a new path that others can follow.

What does it really mean to be out of poverty?

It means earning a living wage to sustain your family. It means having savings in the bank and demonstrating savings behavior. It means being free of government subsidies. It means being out of the never-ending cycle.

How it Works

By creating a community support system, we give each client a group of people they can turn to for support as they move towards stability and independence.

Individualized and Holistic

We look at the whole client, not just their need for today and invest in the strengths each client brings the first time we meet them. Our case managers work with clients to create an individualized, actionable service plan based on each client’s unique strengths and self-determined goals. The first step is establishing an overall foundation of well-being.

Relationship-Based Case Management

Padua Case Management Teams hold very small caseloads, allowing them to build stronger relationships and establish the trust necessary for long-term progress. They utilize a coaching approach, strategic financial assistance, and resource coordination to support each client on their journey to a bigger, brighter future.

Measuring Success

Key to the creation of Padua was our partnership with researchers at the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame to conduct an impact evaluation of our model. When we started this process, we committed to transparency. LEO has provided the external research and third-party validation we sought in order to better understand the effectiveness of this program and how to continually improve it.

What Have We Learned?

LEO’s recent conclusions show that Padua increases self-sufficiency and improves employment outcomes. Overall, their findings show our comprehensive, individualized approach to long-term case management can be a more effective way to move families out of poverty. In addition, our very own CCFW Research & Evaluation team has studied Padua from the beginning and recently reported meaningful progress for the families we serve.

LEARN MORE about PADUA'S recent results here