Episcopal Community Services (ECS) is proud to be a founding member of Beyond the Cliff, a rapidly growing national coalition dedicated to eliminating one of the most persistent and least understood barriers to upward mobility for working families: the benefits cliff.

The coalition, convened by the Martha O’Bryan Center with support from the Kresge Foundation, recently reached a milestone, expanding to include organizations across 27 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Together, partners bring deep experience in workforce development, economic mobility, social services, advocacy, and public policy. Their shared mission: ensure that families have the stability and opportunity they need to move beyond poverty, not risk falling deeper into it.

The benefits cliff occurs when a family’s earned income increases—often by a relatively small amount—causing an abrupt reduction or complete loss of public benefits such as SNAP, Medicaid, housing assistance, or childcare subsidies.
Instead of experiencing reward for increased earnings, families often find themselves worse off financially, because the value of lost benefits exceeds the value of their wage increase.  This creates a devastating and counter-productive trap.  For families working hard to advance economically, the benefits cliff can turn progress into punishment.

This fall, coalition members, including ECS, met in Washington, D.C., to present a set of six policy reforms – developed with coalition members, advocates, policy experts, and individuals directly impacted by the benefits cliff – aimed at supporting families as they transition off public benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, and childcare subsidies, programs that often decrease abruptly as earnings rise, leaving families worse off financially.

At ECS, we see the consequences every day: parents who want to grow their income but cannot afford to lose childcare; workers who turn down extra shifts because medical coverage would disappear; families who remain stuck economically despite doing everything society asks of them.

Why it Matters to ECS and Philadelphia
As a founding member, ECS brings both on-the-ground expertise and a deep commitment to systems change. Our Bridge to Prosperity model equips families with financial coaching, workforce supports, and pathways to income growth, but the benefits cliff often places structural barriers in their way.
By helping shape national policy conversations, ECS ensures that the experiences of Philadelphians inform policy solutions at state and federal levels. We also build on our long-standing work in advocacy, economic mobility, and breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
ECS will continue contributing data, family insights, and policy expertise to the coalition as we work toward a safety net that supports long-term stability.