• Inventory of Income-Tested Programs.  This project involved the collection of descriptions of income-tested programs in all of the provinces and territories. Program areas included income supports (including child benefits), legal aid, child care and other family services, housing and health services for persons with disabilities (for the Ontario Ministry of Finance, 2006);

• Evaluation of Ontario Works -- JobsNow Program.  This program, to aid individuals on social assistance who are returning to the workforce, provides employment supports and assistance through a variety of mechanisms (coaching, job placement, etc.). The evaluation included analyses of administrative data and the design of surveys of clients (for the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services, 2005-2006);

• Review of Integrity Vision, Mission and Mandate for Income Security Programs.  This project examined the quality control and oversight functions of the Program Integrity Division of the Income Security Program, Human Resources Development Canada (Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, etc.).  Regional studies were completed with program integrity staff in all parts of Canada (for Human Resources Development Canada, 1999-2000);

• Review of Services for Homeless Families in Canada.  This project included national surveys of municipalities and shelters in both official languages and an international review of literature on homeless families and impacts of homelessness and supportive services on parents and children. Surveys were conducted for shelters in close to 100 Canadian urban areas.  The project is oriented towards the identification of needs in Canadian communities, best practices and innovative service models (for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 1998-1999);

• Review of the Canadian Cancer Society Transportation Program.  This project included surveys of patient users of the program to assess awareness of the program and satisfaction, and surveys of the Ontario public and Canadian Cancer Society donors to assess the appropriateness of use of private donations to support this service.  Surveys were limited to Ontario, and included over 1,000 patients, 400 donors, and a random sample of 400 Ontarians (for the Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division, 1998-1999);

• Evaluation of Public and Private Incentives for Retirement.  This project included analyses of Consumer Finance Survey data and econometric analyses of related Statistics Canada databases.  The evaluation examined incentives for retirement at particular ages, the impact of private pension plans, and expected age of retirement (for Human Resources Development Canada, 1997-1998);

• Evaluation of the Canada Pension Plan (Disability Component).  This study assessed this important program for protecting incomes of working Canadians, through consultations with worker's compensation boards, insurance companies, and others, and through international comparisons, econometric analyses and other research (for Human Resources Development Canada, 1996-1997);

• Study of Special Needs of Women Who Experience Family Violence.  This study involved community case studies of women's shelters in all regions of Canada, and interviews with provincial level and national level organizations to assess special needs of women who experience family violence, while at the same time facing obstacles to use of services resulting from such problems as mental health, alcoholism, disabilities, or from situational circumstances such as being of Aboriginal origin or multi-cultural background (for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 1997);

• Quality Assurance/Quality Control in the CPP Disability (CPPD) Program.  This review examined quality assurance models and their application to CPPD.  The report proposed development of a quality assurance "mission" and a quality assurance program.  The research included Federal/Provincial consultations, an organizational and document review, including comparisons to regimes such as ISO 9000, and quality assurance in other sections of HRDC, and in the private insurance sector (for Human Resources Development Canada, 1997);

• Evaluation of the National Vocational Rehabilitation Project.  This evaluation examined the cost-effectiveness and viability of the rehabilitation function within CPP.  A primary data source was a bilingual survey of clients to assess satisfaction and impacts, which was conducted using SPR’s Teleform technology.  Indicators of program impact (particularly satisfaction, improvement in abilities, and the proportion of clients returned to the workforce) were developed, and recommendations were made regarding mission orientation, organizational culture and rehabilitation, and administration (for Human Resources Development Canada, 1996);

• Project Haven Evaluation.  This project examined community family violence services and women's shelters across Canada.  The evaluation examined housing issues, incomes and access to income security for women leaving violent relationships (for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, for the Federal Inter-Departmental Initiative on Family Violence, 1992-1994);

• Study of Extraordinary Expenditures of Persons with Disabilities.  This study used Statistics Canada's Health Activities and Limitations Survey.  The analysis "inverted" traditional "poverty line" thinking by examining an "actualization line" -- the income which individuals with disabilities need, in order to engage in community and social participation on a par with persons without disabilities (for the Ontario Office for Disability Issues, 1991-1992); and

• Evaluation of the Ontario Work Incentives Program.  This study examined incentives for social assistance recipients -- primarily sole support mothers -- to return to the workforce and federal-provincial cost-sharing (for the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services, 1982).

SPR is able to draw on a wide range of consultants in the areas of community programs, services for the disabled, gerontology, social work, child care, pensions, income security, and related areas.