The following is from Stephen MacDonald, Impact Coalition manager at the Lucas County Family and Children First Council.

As the Getting Ahead and Bridges Out of Poverty program manager for the Lucas County Family and Children First Council, I oversee all aspects of Bridges and Getting Ahead in Lucas County, Ohio. Our work includes providing Bridges training to help community members from all sectors develop a shared understanding of poverty. We also offer Getting Ahead classes for individuals who have experienced poverty. These classes help them to investigate their lives, build resources, and achieve stability.

Additionally, we develop and support initiatives that foster collaboration across industry, nonprofit, and government sectors to address poverty at individual, organizational, community, and policy levels.

I first learned about the Healthier Buckeye Council grant in 2016 while working with the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities on a project aimed at addressing the workforce crisis among direct service providers. We secured the grant to support this effort and proposed three key initiatives:

  • Provide Bridges and Getting Ahead in the Workplace classes.
  • Support direct support professionals while assisting the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio in developing its Community Health Worker
  • Launch an Employer Resource Network for developmental disability providers.

Employer Resource Networks are public–private partnerships designed to support under-resourced employees by helping them remove barriers to employment and job retention. In turn, employers benefit from reduced turnover. Member employers purchase shares in the Employer Resource Network, which covers the cost of a success coach, including salary, benefits, supervision, and other expenses. The success coach’s primary role is to help employees remain in their jobs.

With Healthier Buckeye Council funding, we provided Bridges training and Getting Ahead in the Workplace classes to under-resourced employees. In collaboration with the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities, we launched the EaRNed Success ERN for providers. Through this collaboration, we supported the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio in hiring five community health workers, thus demonstrating the program’s viability. Today, the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio contracts with 17 care coordination agencies across seven counties, employing approximately 50 community health workers.

A key objective in launching EaRNed Success was to test the viability of the Employer Resource Network model and, if successful, scale the initiative statewide. Since 2017, we have established a second Employer Resource Network in Lucas County and, in partnership with Marion Matters, helped develop additional Employer Resource Networks across Ohio. By the end of 2023, eight Employer Resource Networks were serving 32 counties and 51 employers, supporting 15,624 employees. More networks are currently in development.

The impact of Ohio’s Employer Resource Network expansion is evident in 2023 year-end data. Member employers saw an impressive 1,419% return on investment, with 1,452 employees receiving assistance from a success coach. Success coaches delivered 3,321 services, helping employees address challenges that could otherwise lead to job loss. This exceptionally high return on investment directly improves employer financial health by reducing turnover costs.

The Society for Human Resource Management estimates the cost of replacing an employee is between 50% and 200% of their annual salary, depending on their role.

We plan to develop a third Employer Resource Network that is focused on returning citizens and employers committed to second-chance hiring. Launching a new Employer Resource Network comes with costs, and we’ve learned that grant funding significantly accelerates the process by covering development expenses and subsidizing new employers’ first year of membership. This support enhances recruitment efforts and speeds up network implementation.

Funding could also support additional Employer Resource Networks in Toledo, in Lucas County, and across Ohio. It would allow us to offer Getting Ahead in the Workplace classes for Employer Resource Network member employees. Additionally, it would strengthen collaborations with community stakeholders and help build a more structured network of partnerships, maximizing the reach and impact of available resources for Ohioans working toward stability.

One specific opportunity is expanding our involvement with Mobility Mentoring, a coaching model that aligns with Bridges principles and enhances support for Getting Ahead graduates. This framework is being used in Ohio, and maintaining consistency in support approaches ensures we can better serve client families.

I’ve written my fair share of grant proposals, and one of the final questions in most requests is, “How will you make this project sustainable?” I used to find this question challenging. However, I’ve realized that creating a common language for understanding poverty can engage the entire community.