New screening tools to help prevent homelessness in Los Angeles
Prevention Targeting Tools (PTTs) are used to measure a person’s risk of becoming homeless and to determine eligibility for services such as short-term financial assistance. CPL worked with the Los Angeles Homelessness Services Authority (LAHSA) to analyze three PTTs used by service providers in L.A. CPL’s new report includes suggestions to improve how the PTTs are administered, and to increase their predictive accuracy. Report
Unemployment claims shows mixed picture for California workers
The number of Californians claiming unemployment benefits decreased substantially this spring, but part of that decline was likely due to people who had claimed 12 months worth of UI benefits and would need to reapply for a new claim, according to CPL’s latest analysis of unemployment claims. The report also looks at differences in who was re-employed or recalled to work at the end of 2020 and why relying on “initial claims” can overstate the number of unemployed Californians. Policy Report
More than half a million low-income Californians missed out on Cal-EITC
CPL’s newest research on anti-poverty tax credits shows that nearly half of CalFresh enrollees who were eligible for the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) missed out on it in 2017. The 441,575 CalFresh households who did not claim the credit missed out on an average of $172, totaling $76 million in unclaimed state credits. CPL recommends better utilizing existing administrative data to connect more eligible Californians with the CalEITC and other valuable benefits that are also administered through the tax code. Policy Brief
Validation of Public Safety Assessment in San Francisco
CPL recently completed a validation of the Public Safety Assessment (PSA), a risk assessment tool which San Francisco uses to guide recommendations to judges about pretrial release. CPL’s analysis finds that in San Francisco the PSA risk scales are fair to good predictors of the risk of failure to appear, new criminal activity, and new violent criminal activity. The analysis also finds some evidence of predictive bias in the PSA risk scales between racial and ethnic groups, and between males and females. CPL’s report includes recommendations to address the predictive bias and to increase appearance rates. Report
Using job postings and applications to measure the recovery
Homebase provides timecard, scheduling, and job posting services to small and medium-sized businesses. A new joint research project is using Homebase’s job posting and application data to measure the recovery of the American labor market in sectors that were hard hit, including food and drink and retail. The first update in this series finds that while job applications have increased, job applications are down, and wages remain flat. Analysis
Welcome new CPL staff
We’re excited to welcome our new colleagues!
From left to right, top to bottom:
Lucy Huang, Fund Manager
Chris Runde, Operations Director
Gary Gremaux, Senior Data Architect
Omair Gill, Research Associate
Brett Fischer, Postdoctoral Scholar
Molly Pickard, Research Manager
Karla Palos Castellanos, Research Assistant
What will it take to end homelessness in LA?
Janey Rountree, executive director of the California Policy Lab’s UCLA site, joined this panel conversation organized by Zócalo, United Way, and the Committee for Greater Los Angele. Rountree joined other panelists including Enterprise Community Partners vice president Jimar Wilson, L.A. resident Shawn Pleasants, Chair of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Reform Sarah Dusseault, and United Way of Greater Los Angeles Homelessness Initiatives director Carter Hewgley.
The future of cash bail in California
Viewers from around the country tuned in to hear from a panel of experts about the implications of the recent In re Humphrey ruling that mandates judges consider a person’s ability to pay when setting bail. The panel discussed implications for defendants and considerations for California counties as they start to comply with the March 2021 ruling.
Job openings at CPL
CPL recognizes the value of having a diverse staff at all levels of the organization. We are looking for equity-minded applicants who represent and understand the diverse racial and ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, educational, socioeconomic, cultural, and disability backgrounds present in California.
California businesses hiring homeless workers can get a $30,000 tax credit through new law
This article cites CPL’s previous research, finding the vast majority of people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles had worked beforehand.
Report: Low-Income San Diegans Missed Out On $5.5M In Tax Credits
CPL’s new research on the Take-up Gap for the California Earned Income Tax Credit is cited. The research was also covered by the Sacramento Bee, Capital Public Radio, and ABC 10.
Interview about CPL report on unemployment crisis in California
TJ Hedin is interviewed about CPL’s latest analysis of unemployment insurance claims through June 5th, 2021, which found that 40% of people laid off in the second quarter of 2020 had no earnings in the third or fourth quarter of 2020.