Issuu

2020

OUTCOME E VA L UAT I O N OV E RV I E W Completed April 15, 2021

Overview

It’s about Grooming, Love, and Hope: The Country’s Only Nonprofit Groomer is in the Heart of Kansas City.

mpowering the Parent to Empower the Child (EPEC) opened its pilot program, The Grooming Project, in 2016 with a mission to help Kansas City children stuck in the cycle of generational poverty. To break this cycle and give children hope that their lives can be different, we start with their parents.

If we want a child to value education, stay off drugs, and find a meaningful career, those things must first be modeled in the home. If a mom is working nights and weekends in a minimum-wage job, she is likely leaving children home alone, often with a young child watching an even younger child. But regardless of how hard she works and regardless of the sacrifices she makes to do that work, the money earned is often a net-loss for the children—their mom is giving up critical parenting time for income that won’t benefit the family in any significant way. Money and time—these are two of the key insufficiencies that can set a child off on the wrong path.

The Grooming Project believes that the most impactful way we can better the lives of struggling families is to train parents in a living wage, family-friendly trade. We go a step further, offering comprehensive support services to the entire family—legal advocacy, case management, soft skills courses, and transportation assistance, just to name a few. This model for ending generational poverty could work with other professions, but we’ve chosen pet grooming because it provides living wage pay after only six months of

training. Our program is intense, but also quick, allowing a family’s life to change drastically in under one year.

At The Grooming Project, success is not merely getting families out of survival mode; it’s helping each family thrive so that successive generations are better off than the last. At The Grooming Project, we also know there is a transformative power in giving people what we call an equitable first chance—making basic, life-simplifying things available that most of us take for granted each and every day, like a support system and a safe place to sleep. Students like ours, who have been left out of meaningful career paths, can find a sense of belonging and relief from systemic barriers in our program. The grooming trade is a forgiving one due to the demand, allowing entry to those with a criminal record or without a high school diploma. Our organization understands that a life of poverty is often synonymous with a life of trauma and toxic stress. Chronic exposure to scarcity and instability makes it difficult for cognitive processes

such as critical thinking, decision making, and emotional regulation to operate smoothly, if at all. In childhood this can manifest as behavior problems; in adulthood, this often looks like chronic unemployment, unhealthy relationships, or substance abuse. Fortunately, the art of grooming promotes healing. The human-animal connection is an intangible force powerful enough to make human stress hormones drop within minutes. Our students quickly discover that if they approach a dog with anything other than calmness and patience, that dog will be difficult to groom. Every interaction with a dog in our program is an immediate lesson in self-regulation. Over time, these lessons and the cumulative reduction in stress hormones can translate into reduced anxiety and a calmer presence at home. Animals, we have found, can provide adults with a history of anxiety or unstable employment a powerful incentive to show up to work each day. They can also help them become better parents. At The Grooming Project, success is not merely getting families out of survival mode; it’s helping each family thrive so that successive generations are better off than the last.

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Student Demographics

Primarily homeless or at-risk single mothers of young children 55% Caucasian; 27% Black; 9% Biracial; 5% Hispanic/Latino 71% between ages 25-44; 21% between ages 18-24 Average monthly income at program entry = $300 60% have a high school diploma; 75% have a high school diploma or GED 33% have a criminal record Most have little or no employment history “The Grooming Project had a big impact on me. They helped me teach myself accountability, work ethic, how to show up and do what is asked. If I thought I couldn’t do something, I gained the confidence to continue and get it done.” 4 | 2020 OUTCOME EVALUATION OVERVIEW

Graduate Survey Response Data The Grooming Project staff contacted all 67 graduates to gather longitudinal outcome data.

Staff conducted surveys over the phone or in person. 47 graduates completed the survey. The survey consisted of 35 questions about income, employment, housing, transportation, and other relevant outcome items. More than 70% of the graduates surveyed provided W-2s to verify income.

“The Grooming Project changed my life. I have a career now that I love.”

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Income Average hourly wage vs. salary Average household income in Jan. 2021

Average hourly salary

Average hours per week

2016 graduates

$42,804

$22.50

2017 graduates

$44,334

$24.88

2018 graduates

$40,708

$20.89

2019 graduates

$39,345

$23.85

ALL GRADUATES

$41,200

$23.24

We are looking closely at the reasons why some graduates are working part-time. The common causes tend to be: 1) They work for a company they like, but the company is not attracting enough business to provide full-time employment. 2) For families with many children, childcare expenses surpass the income gained by working while children are home.

Average hourly wage for all graduates: $23.24 Highest graduate salary in 2020: $60,000

Graduates of The Grooming Project make an hourly wage that is equal to or above the pay of many careers that require a college degree. Additionally, TGP’s graduates have achieved this with only six to nine months of training and while accumulating zero debt in the process. These outcomes already speak for themselves, but another compelling factor is that one out of every four of TGP’s graduates do not have a high school diploma or GED. The things TGP’s graduates have achieved are nothing short of remarkable and are the quintessential example of sustained outcomes.

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Government Assistance

he substantial decrease in reliance on government assistance for income is a direct byproduct of the increase in wage earnings for graduates. There are several individual and social benefits that materialize when the migration from government assistance to unsubsidized wage earnings occurs.

100%

of entering students qualify for some form of government assistance (SNAP, TANF, MEDICAID)

62%

38%

Receiving Government Assistance*

*Graduate utilization of government assistance (SNAP, TANK, MEDICAID)

Receiving No Government Assistance

62% of graduates are off all forms of government assistance Individually, the gross wages earned by graduates exceeds the amount they were receiving from government benefits by more than $20,000 annually for all graduates combined, and by almost $40,000 annually for those working fulltime. Additionally, beyond just having more income generally, earned wage income can be spent with discretion, whereas various

types of government assistance are restricted regarding what they can be used to purchase or access. This is important in that it gives a parent - particularly women flexibility in how they manage their budget. It also gives a parent the ability to make relationship decisions that are much less rooted in financial vulnerability. As a 2014 William & Mary Journal of Women and

the Law research article notes, “while a batterer is empowered by his partner’s financial dependence, the autonomy of a woman who is victimized is diminished by her abuser’s ability to control her through financial means” (1). This reality is observable among EPEC’s graduates as it is a regular point of qualitative feedback.

Socially, it costs less taxpayer money when people who have used government benefits stabilize, find living wage employment, and transition off government assistance. And because such individuals experience an overall gross income increase that can now be spent with discretion, local businesses and economies benefit as these new consumers join the market. 2020 OUTCOME EVALUATION OVERVIEW | 7

Support Systems

ocial support plays a varied role in the lives of those living in poverty. For many, their social support networks consist of others living in the same dire economic conditions. Multiple studies have found that while good social support within impoverished communities helps everyday survival, it does not correlate to upward economic mobility (2).

What The Grooming Project sees among its graduates is a growing social support network as their own economic situation improves. While in training, students form relationships with other students who are on the same pathway out of poverty. As graduates move into their living wage jobs, they form new relationships with coworkers. In this way, graduates experience the kind of social support that

correlates to avoiding poverty. For example, a 2008 Urban Institute study on the effect of social support on hardship avoidance found that “a stronger social support network is associated with a lower incidence of material hardship, which appears to occur through a lower likelihood of entering hardship rather than higher likelihood of exiting hardship

among low-income families.” This is the kind of social support most of us have but take for granted—the kind that is so reliably there in times when potential trouble arises that the trouble itself never fully materializes. A flat tire or a sick child do not turn into a lost job or lost housing. This kind of support is easy to overlook but also vital to stability.

Graduates reported a 150% increase in social support systems

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Housing Stability

Graduates report a 66% reduction in housing moves

he importance of housing stability as both a gateway out of poverty and key to avoiding economic insecurity is well established. As policy analysts from the Corporation for Enterprise Development put it, “consistent, stable housing is a key part of financial security.

Stable housing means having a choice over when and under what circumstances a household wants to move. Housing stability ensures that children can do well in school and that parents can have a consistent commute to work, each of which reduces overall stress and financial stress for the household” (3). Obviously, no part of a person’s life happens in a vacuum. Many of the outcomes The Grooming Project works toward with its students are interrelated: transportation impacts employment, employment impacts income, income impacts housing, housing impacts employment acquisition and retention, and a lack of income is a barrier to both transportation and housing. All these things impact health, and poor health makes it difficult to make progress on all these things, etc.

The Grooming Project’s approach is to focus on making positive progress on as many social determinants of health as possible, being led primarily by the specifics of each student’s individual circumstances. This approach is vital to success as some people’s pathway to stability in any one of the core areas mentioned may be more readily available than others. In doing those case-by-case assessments for more than five years now, housing is one of the core focus points for almost every student in our program. For this reason, the substantial increase in housing stability is an outcome The Grooming Project is very encouraged by. It is a sign that our work - and the unending hard work of our students - is paying off. Graduates having and maintaining housing stability postgraduation means their incomes are sufficient to allow for such stability – a core change we are trying to achieve. To double down on the positive impact stable housing can have, The Grooming Project recently finished the development of our own transitional living residence so that we can provide immediate housing stability to more students while they are in our program. 2020 OUTCOME EVALUATION OVERVIEW | 9

Presence at Home

rooming is a trade that easily allows parents to be present in their children’s lives. Aside from large corporate salons, which do offer evening grooming hours, most grooming salons are only open during normal business hours, which mirror school hours. Additionally, because many salons pay their groomers by the dog rather than by the hour, many groomers finish their day’s work in time to be home with their children right after school. This is a drastic change from the jobs available to our students prior to becoming groomers. Most spent their days working the second shift or overnight in highly inflexible jobs that did not prioritize family life.

Graduates reported a 40% increase in evenings spent at home with their children per week. “The impact The Grooming Project has had on me is everything. It brought me together with my children and we’re still together.”

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Transportation

nreliable transportation has a profound negative impact on our students, primarily in the areas of employment and health. The lack of reliable transportation is often the primary barrier to acquiring and retaining employment. As a 2015 New York Times article notes, “In a large, continuing study of upward mobility based at Harvard, commuting time has emerged as the single strongest factor in the odds of escaping poverty” (4) . The acquisition of reliable transportation is at the top of The Grooming Project’s list of support services. The massive increase in transportation reliability that our students experience as they navigate the program and graduate likely plays a pivotal role in graduates being able to reach stability. Commuting time to and from work is not the only factor that is being impacted; commuting times to and from daycare, school, the grocery store, etc. all act as important pieces of the puzzle that is maintaining a daily cadence of stability. For many, the issue is not just a matter of slow public transit—it’s a matter of no form of transit at all.

Reliable transporation increased from 27% at intake to 94% post-graduation. Poor transportation access also has a negative impact on health. As the American Hospital Association notes, “because transportation touches many aspects of a person’s life, adequate and reliable transportation services are fundamental to healthy communities.” Transportation issues can affect a person’s access to health care services. These issues may result in missed or delayed health care appointments, increased health expenditures, and overall poorer health outcomes. Transportation also can be a vehicle for wellness. Developing affordable and appropriate transportation options, walkable communities, bike lanes, bike-share programs, and other healthy transit options can help boost health” (5).

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Budgeting Confidence

he Grooming Project recognizes that in order for graduates to sustain economic independence, they must have the knowledge and confidence necessary to manage their finances once they become gainfully employed as groomers. Two of the major factors in sustaining financial independence are 1) a basic level of literacy surrounding money, banking, budgeting, and credit, and 2) access to secure financial services without high costs. However, barriers such as high overdraft fees, hidden charges, and zero tolerance for past banking mistakes make it difficult for students like ours to access banking services. Through a new partnership with First Federal Bank of Kansas City and Community Services League, Grooming Project students complete a “Real World Banking” program that emphasizes the development of core competencies related to responsibile money management, credit building, and long-term financial planning. The confidence our students gain in this program builds on the “wins” they experience in other areas at The Grooming Project, further increasing the likelihood of stability upon graduation.

Graduates reported a 52% increase in budgeting confidence. “I am more patient, more mindful, more accomplished, happier, and better with money. I look forward to the future.”

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Pet Grooming Industry Involvement

he graduates who remain in the pet grooming industry, on average, make $9 an hour more than graduates who migrate away from the industry. This information speaks to the strength of the pet grooming labor market—a strength that increased during the pandemic: ”The U.S. pet care industry serves 72 million households and had a total addressable market (TAM) of $97 billion in 2020, according to the Petco prospectus.

Since 2008, the industry has had a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5%” (6). The Grooming Project plans to incorporate this information - along with some of the other noted outcomes here - into its new student orientation so that students are more informed about the pet grooming industry and their future earning potential.

Graduates in the pet industry

25% In the pet industry

Not in the pet industry

75%

“This industry is booming. I love knowing I could move anywhere and find a grooming job.”

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Criminal Justice Involvement

ecent data has shown that mass incarceration is both an ineffective way to reduce crime and is incredibly expensive (7). The conventional wisdom that has formed in the past few decades is that employment plays a key role in reducing recidivism. More recent research and analysis suggests there are caveats to this thesis, though, primarily around the stability and pay scale of the employment. In a study titled “Not Just Any Job Will Do: A Study on Employment Characteristics and Recidivism Risks After Release,” the authors note, “A higher occupational level implies a higher income and presumably makes a job less interchangeable. Following economic theories, the risk of losing such a job could tip the balance in favor of being a law-abiding citizen. A good job will make it relatively easy to satisfy needs and desires through legitimate means. We therefore expect that ex-prisoners with a job of a high occupational level are less likely to reoffend than ex-prisoners with a job of a low occupational level” (8).

The pay and purposeful experience the grooming industry can provide brings this thesis to life as The Grooming Project’s graduates routinely make enough to experience meaningful change. The qualitative feedback we received from graduates confirms that the overall experience creates a different sense of purpose, and that anchor of purpose can be used to acquire economic stability.

“The Grooming Project changed my life. Before, I had no sense of purpose.”

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Conclusion

“I look toward the future and see I have one. My confidence—I am a completely different person. My grooming has a lot to do with that.”

Board of Directors Kathy Miller, President Tom McDonnell, Vice President Susan McGee, Secretary John Cavalcanti, Treasurer Sarah Baum Kevin Flattery Terry Garberg Shawntae Jones Advisory Bruce Pendleton Tom Turner Bill “Doc” Worley

1. Conner, D.H. (2014)., Financial Freedom: Women, Money, and Domestic Abuse. William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law; v20, issue 2. 2. Mills, Gregory B. & Zhang, S. (2013). Social Support Networks and Their Effects on Hardship Avoidance Among Low Income Households. The Urban Institute. 3. Atkinson, A. (2015). Increasing Financial Well-Being Through Integration: Gaining and Sustaining Housing Stability. Corporation for Enterprise Development. 4. Bouchard, M. (2015). Transportation Emerges as Crucial to Escaping Poverty. New York Times, May 7th, 2015. 5. Health Research & Educational Trust. (2017, November). Social determinants of health series: Transportation and the role of hospitals. Chicago, IL: Health Research & Educational Trust. 6. Garcia, T. (2021). Petco CEO highlights the Resiliency of the Pet Industry as Covid-19 Drives Increase in Adoption. Market Watch. 7. Stemen, D. (2017). The Prison Paradox; More Incarceration Will Not Make Us Safer. Vera Institute of Justice. 8. Wagner, P. & Rabuy, B. (2017). Following the Money of Mass Incarceration. Prison Policy Initiative.

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5829 Troost Ave., Suite B Kansas City, MO 64110-3143

TheGroomingProject.org 816.214.5376