Merge pull request #616 from gsa-oes/master

catch up

_portfolios/pandemic-relief-economic-recovery.md

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ project_tags:
   - arp
 ---
 ## Background
-The COVID-19 pandemic caused both a public health and an economic crisis. The federal government responded with historic investments including the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021. <i>What lessons about designing effective programs and strategies, especially for vulnerable populations, can we draw from these investments?</i>
+The COVID-19 pandemic caused both a public health and an economic crisis. The federal government responded with historic investments. <i>What lessons about designing effective programs and strategies, especially for vulnerable populations, can we draw from them?</i>
 
 We’ve built a pandemic relief and economic recovery portfolio consisting of dozens of evaluations and resources to begin to answer this question. Our work encompasses many agency priorities, such as housing, mental health, economic security, small businesses, and community safety. The learnings from this portfolio can be used for policymaking and implementation to improve outcomes and program delivery during times of crisis and beyond. This page features links to results, briefs on key takeaways, and learnings on salient topics such as how to make it easier for people to learn about and apply for federal programs.
 
@@ -33,4 +33,4 @@ We’ve undertaken a body of work to provide an integrated account of ARP implem
 <a class="usa-button" href="{{site.baseurl}}/assets/files/OES-ARP-National-Evaluation.pdf" target="_blank">Learn more (PDF)</a>
 
 ## Portfolio
-We’ve also partnered with federal agencies to conduct dozens of evaluations, some national and some site-specific, to better understand what worked to increase awareness of, access to, and allocation of CARES Act and ARP Act recovery programs. The results offer a wealth of insights, such as what worked to connect thousands more callers in mental health crises to counselors, how one state saved tens of thousands of dollars by shifting away from an ineffective outreach technique, and which program change made it easier, faster, and more likely for people facing housing instability to access rental assistance.
+We’ve also partnered with federal agencies to conduct dozens of evaluations, some national and some site-specific, to better understand what worked to increase awareness of, access to, and allocation of federal recovery programs. The results offer a wealth of insights, such as what worked to connect thousands more callers in mental health crises to counselors, how one state saved tens of thousands of dollars by shifting away from an ineffective outreach technique, and which program change made it easier, faster, and more likely for people facing housing instability to access rental assistance.

_projects/1804-va-opioid-buyback.md

@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ status: Complete
 domain: Health
 agency: Veterans Affairs
 summary: Reminder cards increased the return of unused prescription opioids
-featured: 
+featured:
+- homepage
 ---
 ## What was the challenge?
 Unused prescription opioid pills stored in the home can contribute to opioid abuse. It's estimated that between one quarter and three quarters of patients prescribed opioids either misplace unused pills or store them for future use, presenting a risk to those who may later find them. In an effort to encourage proper disposal, the White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center implemented a cash buyback program, called “Cash for Your Stash,” in which patients who return unused opioid pills to the VA pharmacy can receive $5 per returned pill, up to $50. The program is offered to patients who receive one-time, short-term prescriptions for opioids to manage pain following outpatient surgery. 

_projects/2208a-texts-to-increase-online-green-card-filing.md

@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ type: Impact evaluation of program change
 agency: Homeland Security
 status: Complete
 summary: Evaluating methods to increase online filing for Permanent Resident Card renewals
-featured: 
+featured:
+- homepage
 ---
 ## What is the agency priority?
 The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) aims to increase customer satisfaction by encouraging the effective and efficient use of USCIS’ online services and contact centers as part of their mission to uphold America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility with fairness, integrity, and respect for all they serve. Increasing the number of customers who use USCIS’ online portal is a key agency priority, as part of their efforts to reduce the paperwork burden on customers and agency staff. The agency has identified Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) as one key target group to increase use of online services, as they may benefit from opportunities to renew their Green Cards online. Despite the online availability of Form I-90 [Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)] since 2015, online filing rates had hovered at an average of approximately 60% over the two years preceding this evaluation.

_projects/2209B-increasing-access-to-childcare-grants.md

@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ agency: Health and Human Services
 status: Complete
 summary: Texts and calls increased funding awards for child care providers
 featured:
-- homepage
 ---
 ## What is the agency priority?
 The American Rescue Plan (ARP) allocated approximately $24 billion in Child Care Stabilization Base Grants (CCSBG) to the Department of Health and Human Services to help stabilize the child care labor market in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stabilizing the child care market and providing higher wages to child care workers has several important equity implications. Nearly all child care providers are small businesses, are overwhelmingly owned by women, and are disproportionately owned by people of color.<sup>1</sup> Recent evidence found that CCSBGs were effective at increasing child care employment and wages nationally.<sup>2</sup> However, about a third of child care providers failed to take-up these grants in Minnesota. Minnesota’s Department of Human Services (MN DHS) aimed to identify methods to enhance equitable access to CCSBG among child care providers in the state. 

_projects/2305-era-grantee-flexibilities-ky.md

@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ agency: Treasury
 status: Complete
 summary: Streamlining income verification for application processors in Kentucky increased application approval rates by at least 7 percentage points
 featured:
-  - homepage
 ---
 ## What is the agency priority? 
 At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, housing advocacy groups warned that 20% of renting households would be at <a class="usa-link usa-link--external" href="https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/20-million-renters-are-at-risk-of-eviction/">risk of eviction</a> by the end of 2020 if the government did not act. Housing instability was <a class="usa-link usa-link--external" href="https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_Housing_insecurity_and_the_COVID-19_pandemic.pdf">especially high</a> among renters with low incomes and renters who identified as people of color.