The One Door Model
A Solution to Improve Economic Opportunity for Safety Net Participants
The One Door Model is a policy solution that allows states to put safety net services and work support into a single, coordinated system, giving people a clearer path to a good job and a better life.
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Why Does the Safety Net Need One Door?
America is facing a national work crisis. Across the country, there are 8.9 million open jobs that employers can’t find enough workers to fill.
Despite the availability of jobs, poor Americans struggle to access these opportunities because of the disconnect between safety net programs and work support.
Right now, when someone turns to the safety net for help, they face a fragmented system that’s overwhelming and confusing. The maze of multiple, disconnected welfare and workforce programs leaves recipients with no clear path out of the safety net and into work.
Benefits of the One Door Model
For Safety Net Recipients
- Access to meaningful work and more economic opportunity
- Improved physical, emotional, and psychological health
- Better family stability and outcomes for their children
For State Agencies
- Lower costs to deliver quality services
- Less administrative duplication
- Better outcomes for the people receiving help
For State Governments
- Fewer barriers for people seeking opportunities
- Reduced worker shortages
- A more effective, less expensive safety net system
For Our Communities
- More people thriving because of the dignity and mobility found in work
- Growth in businesses, job opportunities, and local economies
- Healthier, happier, and more self-sufficient families and individuals
State Examples
Utah
Utah is the only state that has fully integrated its safety net and workforce services. Utah adopted this approach in 1997 after an audit revealed duplication and inefficiencies in their welfare system.
The Impact of One Door in Utah:
- Fastest recovery from pandemic unemployment.
- Lowest participation rates of residents on food stamps and Medicaid.
- Consistently low unemployment and poverty rates.
Louisiana
Louisiana has long struggled with having the nation’s highest poverty rate and one of the lowest labor force participation rates.
In 2025, Louisiana passed One Door to Work legislation that will merge the Temporary Aid to Needy Families program (TANF) and Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs. The new program, called LA Works, will help welfare recipients get the social services help they need while also connecting them to employment opportunities.
Louisiana’s Steps to One Door To Work
Step 1: Audit Key Programs
Lawmakers required the state to complete a performance audit of their SNAP, WIOA, TANF, and CCAP programs. The audit uncovered several inefficiencies and shortcomings that confirmed these programs were not meeting their stated goals of providing temporary help while empowering individuals toward self-sufficiency.
Step 2: Establish a Task Force
The audit led to an executive order establishing the Louisiana Workforce and Social Services Reform Task Force, which developed recommendations for consolidating Louisiana’s welfare and work programs.
Step 3: Enact One Door Legislation
In 2025, lawmakers responded to the task force’s recommendations by passing One Door legislation that puts social services and workforce programs into one system called “Louisiana Works.”
Why Aren’t More States Using One Door?
Federal law currently doesn’t give states apart from Utah the permission to fully integrate their safety net and workforce programs—especially those funded and governed by Washington, D.C. Ultimately, federal reform is needed in order for more states to use One Door to its full potential. Recently, more states have been calling on the federal government to make these changes.
Our Work to Expand the One Door Model for States
Federal Reform
Through our Alliance for Opportunity initiative, the Georgia Center for Opportunity is working with congressional leaders on bipartisan reform that would give states full flexibility to integrate their safety net and workforce programs. Federal leaders introduced the “One Door to Work Act” in April 2025.
Recommendations for States
Conduct an Audit
Performance audits are an important tool for lawmakers to understand the status of their workforce development systems.
