About Bridging the Gap
NHSA’s Bridging the Gap Initiative aims to ensure that frontline workers know about, and have ready access to, earned benefits and other income
supports beyond their paycheck – whether they’re tax credits, health insurance for children, or assistance with energy bills and groceries.
Earned benefits are a crucial way for lower-income workers and their families – or anyone struggling to cover basic expenses – to achieve financial stability by
bridging the gap between their income and budgetary needs. This not only means they’re able to make ends meet, but it leads to greater personal, family,
workplace, and community success as well.
To this end, the Bridging the Gap initiative is helping our member’s HR and other key staff to connect their direct care teams with these vital benefits by
providing them with the necessary resources and training.
With support from the Annie E. Casey and Ford Foundations, the National Human Services Assembly – in partnership with Catholic Charities USA, Goodwill Industries
International, Lutheran Services of America, United Cerebral Palsy/Eastern Seals, United Neighborhood Centers of America, Volunteers of America, Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.
and Seedco – is leading the Bridging the Gap Initiative and the combined effort to support frontline human service workers and their families.
Join us – Support frontline workers and their families!
Learn more about the Bridging the Gap Initiative through our outreach materials or download them to help us spread the word!
Earned Benefit Fact Sheet
Earned benefits include a range of public and private benefits and assistance programs that serve as way for low– and moderate–income working families to bridge the gap between what they
earn and what they need to cover basics such as medical care, healthy foods and affordable housing. Download this fact sheet to find out more
about what they are, how they can help and what NHSA is doing to increase access to them.
Overview of NHSA’s Bridging the Gap Initiative
In 2009, NHSA launched the Bridging the Gap initiative with four national members. Since that time, the initiative has doubled in size and has provided training to over 150 HR professionals and
service providers with a reach to over 30,000 frontline workers. For a quick overview of the what we’re doing to support frontline human service workers and their families take a look at this one-pager.
Making the Business Case for Earned Benefits
Earned Benefits aren’t just a way to support working families. They’re also essential for strengthening workplaces. When employers connect eligible staff with these programs, they’ll see positive outcomes
like increased retention, decreased absenteeism as well as higher morale and productivity. With funding from the Ford Foundation, NHSA, select member’s and Seedco will be testing HR-driven benefits enrollment
with the goal of collecting data that make the business case for this approach to benefits access. Read more about this work.
Direct Care Workers At-A-Glance
There are over 3 million frontline human service workers in America, many of whom qualify as low-wage earners. In fact, 41% of direct care employees – such as home health aides, child care workers, and residential
treatment staff – rely on earned benefits as income supplements. Learn more about the direct care employees who Bridging the Gap aims to support.
Benefit Uptake Rates At-A-Glance
Only 7% of families who qualify for all four of the major benefits – tax credits, medical care, food assistance and child care subsidies – actually claim them. Take a look at some of the uptake rates, and see why it’s so
important to get more families connected with the benefits they’re eligible for.
Bridging the Gap for Service Providers
Are you a service provider who is interested in connecting clients with these important benefit programs? NHSA’s Bridging the Gap is working to create resources that can be used to
support any one who may be eligible for the benefits, whether they’re a frontline human service worker or a client your organization serves. Learn more.
The Family Strengthening Policy Center was developed with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.