The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model, originally designed as a framework for providing employment services to individuals with serious mental health illness, has attracted interest as a strategy to serve a broader population. Programs at three Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Illinois, New Hampshire, and North Carolina are using the model to provide employment services to individuals with a range of mental health and substance use disorders.  

MDRC, in partnership with Abt Associates and MEF Associates, is conducting a random assignment evaluation of the three IPS programs. The study aims to see if individuals in FQHC settings benefit from the IPS model. This profile provides basic background information about the study to be conducted as part of the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies (BEES) project. The study will include an impact analysis, a cost study, and an implementation study. 

BEES is part of the federal Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation's Innovative Strategies for Addressing Employment Barriers Portfolio, which seeks to rigorously evaluate the next generation of employment strategies for people with low incomes and is partnering with the Social Security Administration on select evaluations.