Most programs offer referrals for substance abuse problems, mental health issues, housing assistance, and anger management. Programs for NCPs can be provided through a variety of different structural models, bringing together widely varying local partnerships and services. Because each locality operates within a different service environment and economy and serves a different clientele, no single model is necessarily preferable, nor is there a presumptive agency that should be the lead administrative entity. Programs can benefit from collaboration and coordination among agencies. No single agency is likely to have the expertise and experience to address the wide combination of issues and problems.
Recruitment is a critical challenge and a major component of programs serving NCPs.
For many NCPs, this can be a first step in improving their employment and earnings potential, but programs must gain their trust. While the expanded eligibility criteria in the 1999 WtW amendments significantly broadened the pool of eligible participants and eased recruitment difficulties, these efforts continue to require constant attention, effort, and resources. Programs that are most successful in recruiting participants use multiple outreach and recruitment approaches, with particular attention to developing referral arrangements with other agencies serving large number of NCPs. A combination of positive inducements and pressures may prove more successful than either a completely voluntary program or a harshly punitive program. Once NCPs are participating, though, individualized employment and support services provided by professional staff with small caseloads are important.