Springfield WORKS celebrates Bridge to Prosperity Cliff Effect Pilot Program
Discover tasty veggie burgers at top spots in western Massachusetts, according to Yelp
The cliff effect is when employees are given a small increase in their income, but suddenly lose their public benefits. Oftentimes, families end up in financial trouble. Each participant receives a monthly bridge payment based on their estimated cliff effect impact, with an additional $10,000 asset-building payment at the end of the program.
Springfield WORKS, a community initiative of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC), and United Way Pioneer Valley hosted a celebration for the program on June 5th. The program offers personalized coaching on finance, employment, and career growth. Each participant receives a monthly bridge payment based on their estimated cliff effect impact, with an additional $10,000 asset-building payment at the end of the program.
Over the last year, the program received over $1M in private funding to support the cause. There are currently 18 participants in the program. The goal is to help up to 100 families this year.
'For our gateway cities, Springfield and Holyoke, and our people of color, 1 out of 3 Hispanic, Latino families. 1 out of 4 black African American families receive at least 1 public benefit,' said Anne Kandilis, a director at Springfield WORKS.
Springfield WORKS wants to create legislative policies that will mandate a course of action.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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