Overcoming Systemic Barriers — How Empower Upper Cumberland Addresses Childcare, Housing & the Benefits Cliff
Workforce readiness isn’t just about job placement—it’s about creating an environment where work leads to true, long-term stability. In Tennessee’s 14-county Upper Cumberland region, families face entrenched systemic obstacles including a lack of licensed childcare, housing instability, and the “benefits cliff” that can undercut upward mobility.
Understanding the Regional Challenge
Empower Upper Cumberland (Empower UC), jointly managed with the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency and the Upper Cumberland Development District, aims to lift 800 families and 1,600 children out of poverty by 2026 .
Amid this effort, key barriers have been identified: only 20% of children aged six weeks to 14 years in the region access licensed childcare or after-school programs, a striking challenge for working parents .
The Benefits Cliff: A Hidden Obstacle
Empower UC actively educates participants on the “benefits cliff”—where slight wage increases result in losing critical public benefits (e.g., TennCare or SNAP), often reducing overall household resources .
To prepare families, the program integrated the Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forcaster (CLIFF) during onboarding sessions, helping participants project how potential income changes would affect their benefit eligibility and net income .
Strategies & Partnerships in Action
In response, Empower UC implements several complementary strategies:
Navigator Guiding & Personalized Planning: Navigators lead individualized support—including financial assistance, milestone payments, career planning, budgeting strategies, soft-skills (“Aim High”) training, FAFSA help, and parenting engagement through the Ready to Learn program .
Employer Engagement & Certification: Employers who complete training on the benefits cliff, retention strategies, and trauma-informed approaches can become Empower-certified—accessing benefits like wage reimbursement up to 50% for up to 320 hours, job promotion, and direct candidate referrals .
Collaborative Advocacy & Service Mapping: Partners—including the Upper Cumberland Development District and others—work to identify systemic gaps in childcare, housing, and benefit policies, aiming to strengthen infrastructure and service access across the region .
Why This Systemic Focus Matters
Without addressing these foundational barriers, employment alone cannot lead to sustainable economic progress. Empower UC’s multi-tiered approach—spanning coaching, employer training, benefit forecasting, and regional advocacy—ensures workforce development is anchored in both compassion and effectiveness.
By dismantling obstacles like childcare scarcity, housing insecurity, and the benefits cliff, Empower Upper Cumberland paves the way for families not just to work—but to truly prosper.
