Latest news with #SpringfieldWORKS
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Springfield WORKS program allows people to move up in career by filling in gap from lost benefits
SPRINGFIELD – Joelene Christmas did all the things she needed to get ahead: She earned a degree Holyoke Community College and excelled in a job in its line cook program. But when she was offered a promotion to become an event planner, she felt she had to turn it down. 'I said, if I take this promotion I could lose my subsidized housing,' she said. 'The promotion doesn't pay me enough.' Welcome to the 'cliff effect' that puts people who are working low-wage jobs in a quandary. They do everything to get ahead but when they have an opportunity for promotion, being put in a higher income bracket means they can lose needed subsidies for child care, housing and health care which can't be made up. Christmas did take the job and lost $200 a month in food stamps, but her children aren't going hungry because a new initiative led by Springfield WORKS called Bridge to Prosperity is helping her make up the difference. That now gives her a chance to earn more and develop the job experience to move up the career ladder. 'It is difficult to make ends meet,' she said. 'I feel trapped and I don't like feeling trapped …I want to move forward, I just don't know how.' The Cliff Effect Program has been years in the making and was kicked off in February with a total of 18 clients statewide including seven in Western Massachusetts, said Anne Shecrallah Kandilis, initiative director for Springfield WORKS. The cliff effect doesn't just keep people from gaining financial independence, it also leaves employers unable to promote good workers into positions with more responsibility, she said. People often think of benefits for housing, child care, food stamps and health care as a package but they are each granted individually and have their own income thresholds so it is difficult to sort through the loss of finances. The pilot program essentially provides people the extra money and other assistance that allows them to jump from a $16- or $17-an-hour job to one that may earn $20 or $25 an hour and fills in the gaps for lost benefits until they move ahead again and become financially independent, she said. 'We want to help people in low wage jobs who want a career,' Kandilis said. 'It is about identifying people who might be ready.' The project took years to create and is done in partnership with at least 14 agencies and funders including the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, United Way of Pioneer Valley, the Massachusetts Economic Pathways Coalition and the MassMutual Foundation. It has now secured about $2.6 million, some of it in state money with the help of Sen. Adam Gomez, D-Springfield, and Reps. Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield, and Patricia Duffy, D-Holyoke. It is now working to raise another $2.6 million so it can grow to 100 people by the end of the year, Kandilis said. Gomez called the program a transition to economic independence that makes sense. 'The cliff effect is one of the barriers and a structural flaw in our system that penalizes progress,' Gomez said. 'Families who are doing everything right, working, advancing, striving find themselves worse off.' While the program provides financial support to make up for lost benefits, it also assists with individualized job coaching and help with financial management. In two years, clients also receive a $10,000 asset building payment to support life-changing investments such as purchasing a car or finding a better place to live, said Kristen Joyce, program director for the Cliff Effect Program. The program is very individualized so that it helps people with what they need. For example, Rachel Keenan, who works at Baystate Medical Center in the business department, has now applied to a hospital-sponsored nursing training program through Holyoke Community College so she can become a nurse. In the meantime, the Cliff Effect Program is assisting her with paying health insurance premiums which increased as she received a raise. Keenan inherited a house from her parents but the roof is failing and if she doesn't replace it, she could lose her insurance. Cliff Effect is helping her replace the roof so she has an affordable and safe home and can build equity that way. 'It has been a huge help. The roof will make a huge difference,' she said. Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Springfield WORKS celebrates Bridge to Prosperity Cliff Effect Pilot Program
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Working families in Springfield are learning how to bounce back from a 'cliff effect' from the Bridge to Prosperity Cliff Effect pilot program that began in February. 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 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Valley groups aim to walk people back from financial cliff with new program
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield WORKS and United Way Pioneer Valley will host a celebration Thursday for the Bridge to Prosperity Cliff Effect Pilot Program launch. A community initiative of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, this pilot program is designed to tackle the 'cliff effect,' which occurs when families experience a sudden loss of public benefits when their income rises, often leaving them financially worse off despite earning more. The initiative is crafted in collaboration with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. The event will feature remarks from speakers including state Sen. Adam Gomez and state Rep. Patricia Duffy, and a moderated discussion with pilot program participants. The event will be held 12 to 1:30 p.m. at the TD Bank Building, 1441 Main St. 'Many people in our region work hard to lift their incomes but lose crucial benefits too soon, preventing them from earning a living wage. The Bridge to Prosperity Pilot bridges that gap by providing cash payments and financial coaching to support people as they transition off public benefits and into sustaining jobs,' said Laura Sylvester, public policy manager of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. 'We're ... hopeful it will inspire statewide change.' In the pilot program, participants benefit from personalized coaching to help navigate finances, employment, and career growth, and receive connections to additional support in the community as needed. Each participant receives a monthly bridge payment based upon their estimated cliff effect impact, with an additional $10,000 asset-building payment at the end of the program. These payments are designed to stabilize families and will help mitigate potential losses in benefits while they work toward moving up the career ladder and achieving lasting economic security. 'Our pilot launched in February with 18 participants, seven here in Springfield, and we're already making a difference,' said Kristen Joyce, Bridge to Prosperity program director. 'Bridge payments helped one family stabilize their housing and another purchase food when their SNAP ended. Another participant was able to start training to become a nurse after years of only dreaming of it.' The program is aiming to serve up to 100 families in 2025. To learn more about the Bridge to Prosperity Cliff Effect Pilot Program, visit or contact Kristen Joyce at Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Springfield Works launches pilot program to help those who exceed public assistance benefits
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Springfield WORKS is launching the Bridge to Prosperity Cliff Effect Pilot Program to help individuals who rely on public assistance but receive a slight increase in their salary that disqualifies them from those benefits. The pilot will take place in the Boston, Worcester and Springfield areas to provide direct payments to 'bridge' the gap and make up for the value of lost benefits. With 18 individuals in the initial group and plans to serve up to 100 participants by fall 2025. What is the Cliff Effect and how it affects low income households in western Massachusetts 'This program will not only benefit hardworking families, but also the Commonwealth in the long term, with increased tax revenue generated from the families involved and decreased expenditure on public benefits. It's a win-win,' said Kristen Joyce, Bridge to Prosperity Program Director. 'It's also a model for other states – Massachusetts is leading the way in finding a solution to the benefits cliff.' Participants receive personalized coaching on finances, employment, and career growth and connections to additional support in the community as needed. Based on their estimated cliff effect impacts, they will be issued a monthly bridge payment of $300, $500, or $700. After completing the pilot program, they will be eligible for a $10,000 asset-building bonus. 'Springfield WORKS is proud to lead this innovative effort on behalf of working families statewide,' said Anne Kandilis, Director of Springfield WORKS. 'By investing in people and dismantling barriers to opportunity, we are strengthening not just individual futures but the future prosperity of Massachusetts itself.' Three coaching partners include United Way Pioneer Valley in Springfield, Worcester Community Action Council, and Women's Money Matters in Boston. For career advancement, the Economic Justice Hub at Boston Medical Center and Baystate Health in Springfield are working to support participants. For more information, visit Local News Headlines 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 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
