Since August of last year, the Lucas County Benefits Bridge Pilot Program has directly addressed the “benefits cliff” that affects individuals across Lucas County in hopes to build bridges over those cliffs, allowing individuals to cross over it towards a future of financial success and self-sufficiency.
The program was brought to Lucas County through a collaboration between Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Lucas County Commissioners in response to hearing about the challenges of both the individuals and the businesses.
The program was brought to Lucas County through a collaboration between Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Lucas County Commissioners in response to hearing about the challenges of both the individuals and the businesses.
The benefits cliff is the phenomenon of individuals declining wage increases, promotions, or increased hours at work, not because they do want to advance in their careers, but due to the fear of having public assistance benefits they receive drastically reduced or taken away. In certain cases, very incremental wage increases can cause individuals to lose some or all of their public assistance benefits, such as childcare, transportation or food assistance. These small wage increases often do not cover the expenses incurred by losing these benefits.
Have you had an employee turn down additional hours, a promotion, or even a pay raise? This could be a signal that the employee fears being impacted by the benefits cliff.
The Chamber is committed to supporting businesses in the Toledo region, and with that comes supporting their employees. Businesses of all sizes can experience broad, negative impacts caused by the loss of valued employees due to the benefits cliff.
This is where the Lucas County Benefits Bridge Pilot Program, managed by Harbor, steps in to alleviate some of these strains, allow individuals to advance in their careers, and in turn allow businesses in our region to thrive.
In just over six months, the program has enrolled and began assisting approximately 50 individuals in Lucas County who are currently experiencing issues related to the benefits cliff.
The 18-month-long program offers a variety of support services to participants. They are given access to a variety of services, including mandatory financial literacy training, mentoring, job and education coaching, training certifications and various incentives for the achievement of individually set life goals. Many other barriers to employment, such as transportation issues, that participants face can also be addressed while in the program. These services allow individuals to not only stay at and advance in their jobs but also advance personally on their paths toward self-sufficiency.
The Chamber is continuously focused on outreach to make sure all members, and other employers and employees across Lucas County, are aware of this impactful program so that all that are eligible can take advantage of it. We are also dedicated to advocating for the program’s expansion to more counties in the Toledo region, and the state of Ohio as a whole.
More information, eligibility requirements and instructions for applying are available on Lucas County’s website here: Benefit Bridge | Lucas County, OH - Official Website
If your company is interested in learning more about the program, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Feel free to contact Brian Dicken at [email protected] or Gabrielle Huff at [email protected] for more information on the program.
Have you had an employee turn down additional hours, a promotion, or even a pay raise? This could be a signal that the employee fears being impacted by the benefits cliff.
The Chamber is committed to supporting businesses in the Toledo region, and with that comes supporting their employees. Businesses of all sizes can experience broad, negative impacts caused by the loss of valued employees due to the benefits cliff.
This is where the Lucas County Benefits Bridge Pilot Program, managed by Harbor, steps in to alleviate some of these strains, allow individuals to advance in their careers, and in turn allow businesses in our region to thrive.
In just over six months, the program has enrolled and began assisting approximately 50 individuals in Lucas County who are currently experiencing issues related to the benefits cliff.
The 18-month-long program offers a variety of support services to participants. They are given access to a variety of services, including mandatory financial literacy training, mentoring, job and education coaching, training certifications and various incentives for the achievement of individually set life goals. Many other barriers to employment, such as transportation issues, that participants face can also be addressed while in the program. These services allow individuals to not only stay at and advance in their jobs but also advance personally on their paths toward self-sufficiency.
The Chamber is continuously focused on outreach to make sure all members, and other employers and employees across Lucas County, are aware of this impactful program so that all that are eligible can take advantage of it. We are also dedicated to advocating for the program’s expansion to more counties in the Toledo region, and the state of Ohio as a whole.
More information, eligibility requirements and instructions for applying are available on Lucas County’s website here: Benefit Bridge | Lucas County, OH - Official Website
If your company is interested in learning more about the program, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Feel free to contact Brian Dicken at [email protected] or Gabrielle Huff at [email protected] for more information on the program.
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