Records of the development and implementation of a welfare-alternative research project in Milwaukee. Includes meeting minutes, correspondence, evaluation reports, news clippings, and staff and committee reports. This collection portrays the evolution of the New Hope Project from its developmental roots within the Congress for a Working America to its independent pre-pilot experimental stage, and finally, to its full-scale three year implementation in two Milwaukee neighborhoods. The New Hope Project was designed to replace the welfare system with four work incentives: assistance in attaining jobs, wage supplements, health care assistance, and childcare assistance. The underlying premise of the New Hope Project is based upon the idea that with proper incentives people will work rather than seek welfare. As a research project, a great deal of the collection is devoted to the selection of an appropriate evaluation team. Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC) was selected as the independent evaluator. The collection contains records and reports of the MDRC's relationship and evaluations of the New Hope Project in addition to the evaluations and reports of several other agencies. Many of these reports place the New Hope Project within the context of other welfare-reform projects, most notably the Wisconsin state government implemented W-2. The implementation of the New Hope offer was continuously re-evaluated and rescheduled dependent on the vagaries of contributed funds as depicted in the committee reports to the board of directors.
