PROMISE: Lessons learned from six model demonstration projects through the Promoting Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income Project

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) served as the lead agency for WI PROMISE, with most program activities housed in its Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). DWD partnered with the state’s Department of Health Services (DHS), the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and contracted with various organizations and consultants to implement WI PROMISE statewide. The foundation of this program was intensive case counseling that was provided by PROMISE staff. These staff coordinated with contracted organizations to connect families to PROMISE services throughout the state. Wisconsin PROMISE website  

Youth participants total	2024
Treatment group	1018
Control group	1006

Final participation numbers from projects as of September 30, 2019

Average youth age at enrollment: 15.4 percent

Male	65.9 percent
Female	34.1 percent

Pie chart describing primary impairment

Other mental impairment	41.6 percent
Intellectual and developmental disability	38.9 percent
Physical disability	13.2 percent
Other or unknown	4.8 percent
Speech, hearing, or visual	1.6 percent

Pie chart describing race/ethnicity

Black non Hispanic	38.8 percent
White non Hispanic	34.3 percent
Hispanic	15.3 percent
Other/mixed	7.6 percent
American Indian	2.6 percent
Missing	1.4 percent

Either parent/guardian employed at any time in the 12 months before project: 70.3 percent

Average monthly earnings in 12 months before project: $1,165

Youth employed in 12 months before project: 3.7 percent

Average annual earnings in 12 months before project: $36

Demographics from MPR 18-month interim report

Either parent/guardian employed in month before the 18-month checkpoint

Control group	52.7 percent
Treatment group	58 percent

Earnings in month before the 18-month checkpoint

Control group	$930
Treatment group	$1,138

Control group	30.3 percent
Treatment group	51.6 percent

Youth had any earnings in year before the 18-month checkpoint

Control group	26.3 percent
Treatment group	39.9 percent

Earnings in year before the 18-month checkpoint

Control group	$882
Treatment group	$1,276

Control group	89.7 percent
Treatment group	94.7 percent

Preliminary outcomes for participants who completed the 18-month survey from MPR 18-month interim report

Unique features 

• Comprehensive data sharing MOU across state agencies
• Intensive case counseling with families
• PROMISE family members could access PROMISE and DVR services to achieve their own employment goals via their own DVR case or a PROMISE Family Service plan
• Engagement of diverse communities and partners in rural and urban settings

Partnerships

• Department of Workforce Development (DWD)
• Department of Health Services (DHS)
• Department of Public Instruction (DPI)
• Department of Children and Families (DCF)
• Employment Resources Incorporated (ERI)
• Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC)
• Board for People with Development Disabilities (BPDD)
• University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stout
• Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education, Training & Support (WI FACETS)
• Alianza Latina Aplicando Soluciones (ALAS)
• Wisconsin Statewide Parent Educator Initiative (WSPEI)