March Newsletter
Economic Mobility Alliance Ohio
March 2025 | News and Updates
Welcome to Economic Mobility Alliance Ohio’s newsletter! Thank you for signing up for news and updates for our work.
We are an alliance of state and local advocacy, research, workforce development, and health and human service organizations and funders committed to ending the system of disincentives to work known as benefits cliffs that trap Ohioans in poverty. As a collaborative, we raise awareness and advocate for positive solutions to mitigate and eliminate benefits cliffs, to reduce disincentives to work, and create a more seamless pathway to economic stability for all Ohioans.
Last Chance: Register for the 2025 Economic Mobility Advocacy Day!
Economic Mobility Alliance Ohio, formed last summer, is a collaborative dedicated to raising awareness and advocating for positive solutions to mitigate and eliminate benefits cliffs in Ohio and create a more seamless pathway to economic stability for all Ohioans.
EMAO is led by Advocates for Ohio’s Future, The Center for Community Solutions, Greater Cleveland Works, the Greater Sandusky Partnership, the Ohio Workforce Coalition, the Ohio Urban Community Action Network, United Way of Greater Cleveland, and the Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
We are excited to invite you to join Economic Mobility Alliance Ohio in Columbus for our first ever Economic Mobility Advocacy Day on Wednesday, March 19, 2025!
We'll be advocating for all the programs that support economic stability and mobility, including a refundable state Earned Income Tax Credit, increasing child care eligibility to 200% FPL, and continuing the Benefit Bridge pilot program.
We have been deep in preparations for the 19th! We had a productive Advocacy Day training last Thursday. Check out the training recording HERE with passcode: ESj*bZR1. And, we had a great meeting with Senator Louis Blessing to discuss the potential for a state refundable Earned Income Tax Credit.
Learn more about Economic Mobility Alliance Ohio on our website, and register to join our advocacy day HERE.
Register by Wednesday, March 12th!
Here’s how we can help Ohio families, workers and employers
A guest column in Cleveland.com by EMAO Leadership member Jason Kluk-Barany of The Center for Community Solutions.
The health and human services safety net is crucial in reducing poverty and ensuring healthy communities. However, the way the system is designed prevents Ohioans from moving up in their careers without taking huge financial risks.
“Benefits cliffs” are the points on the path to economic stability where a wage increase sets workers further behind through the loss of a public benefit such as Publicly Funded Child Care (PFCC), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and/or Medicaid.
Workers make career decisions based on these cliffs, rejecting promotions and raises -- of sometimes just a dollar an hour. Doing so keeps them stuck and supported by benefits.
Businesses then struggle to fill open positions and retain workers. And taxpayers lose based on a funding a system that traps Ohioans in poverty rather than supporting growth toward economic stability.
United Way’s ALICE Report shows that in 2022, there were 140,299 households in Cuyahoga County and 1,237,550 in Ohio that earned more than the Federal Poverty Level but not enough to afford the basics.
These Ohioans are some of the most impacted by cliffs, deciding to either move up in their career or lose Medicaid and Publicly Funded Child Care.
Economic Mobility Alliance Ohio (EMAO) is a state-wide alliance committed to ending benefits cliffs, to which The Center for Community Solutions belongs.
EMAO is advocating for the following:
Ohio should join 27 other states in making its Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) refundable.
The current non-refundable EITC is available to working Ohioans, but the maximum credit received is the amount of a worker’s tax liability -- which for most lower-income households is very little to none.
If the EITC was refundable, the difference between the tax liability and the credit amount would be refunded to the taxpayer.
According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a 10 percent refundable EITC would benefit approximately 1.7 million Ohioans, while helping bridge the cliffs as wages increase.
Increase the Publicly Funded Child Care minimum eligibility to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
Currently set at earnings of 145 percent FPL, an increase will help families afford childcare, enabling participation in the labor force while income increases.
By combining an increase in PFCC eligibility and continuing the Child Care Choice Voucher program, Gov. Mike DeWine has included this increase in his recent proposed budget, which EMAO supports.
Improve reporting and transparency in outcomes of Ohio’s current Benefits Bridge pilot programs
Publishing this data can help position Ohio as a model for reform and help to develop best practices for turning benefits cliffs into off-ramps.
Recent progress includes last year’s SNAP benefits off-ramp for Ohio households earning up to 200 percent of FPL and the governor’s inclusion of a refundable Child Tax Credit in his proposed budget.
Although a refundable EITC would support more low-income working families, any refundable credit to Ohio citizens is beneficial.
Moving Up Together Podcast: Check out Season 3, Episode 4 from March 4th, which is about benefits cliffs. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
What Does it Take to be Self-Sufficient in Ohio?
Self-Sufficiency Simulator Launch & Learning Webinar
Thursday, March 13th, 12:00pm-1:00pm. Register HERE.
What does it truly take to make ends meet? Too many Ohio families work hard yet struggle to afford basic needs like housing, childcare, and healthcare. The Self-Sufficiency Standard provides a clear, data-driven picture of what it actually costs to be economically stable—going beyond outdated poverty measures.
Join the Women's Fund for the official launch of the Self-Sufficiency Simulator, a powerful resource designed for policymakers, nonprofits, funders, employers, and advocates. This tool can inform policy, guide funding decisions, and help create solutions that move families toward financial security.
Led by Dr. Travis Speice, Women’s Fund Applied Research Director, and featuring Yvonne Cherell, CEO of the Ohio Urban Community Action Network!
Tackling Benefits Cliffs in Ohio: Policy, Applied Research, and Business Perspectives
Thursday, March 27th, 1:00-2:00pm
Many Ohioans face what's known as benefits cliffs - where a small increase in wages causes them to lose access to public benefits (e.g., SNAP, PFCC) that puts them further behind than if they did not have an increase in wages. The Ohio Workforce Coalition is a founding member of Economic Mobility Alliance Ohio, an alliance of organizations across the state advocating solutions to mitigate and eliminate benefits cliffs, reduce disincentives to work, and create a more seamless pathway to economic stability for all Ohioans.
March's webinar features three speakers tackling benefits cliffs from different perspectives:
Sarah Hudacek, Coalition Manager of Advocate's for Ohio's Future and Economic Mobility Alliance Ohio, will provide an overview of benefits cliffs and key policy issues facing Ohioans.
Travis Speice, Applied Research Director at The Women's Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, will introduce the Self-Sufficiency Simulator. This tool is designed to help advocates, employers, policymakers, and others understand what is means to be economically stable in Ohio today.
Brian Dicken, VP of Advocacy and Strategic Initiatives at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, will address why the Chambers and businesses should care about benefits cliffs, and what they are doing to address cliffs.
Economic Mobility Alliance Ohio, 175 S. Third Street, Suite 350, Columbus, OH 43215, USA