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The WRK Group Featured in Delaware Journal of Public Health Scholarly Article
Dorothy Dillard, Delaware State University's Director of The Center for Neighborhood Revitalization and Research and Bianca Mers, REACH Riverside Community Investment Analyst, co-wrote the article on the benefits cliff.
Dorothy Dillard, PHD (Director of The Center for Neighborhood Revitalization and Research at Delaware State University) and Bianca Mers (Community Investment Analyst at REACH Riverside) have co-written a scholarly article appearing in the June 2023 issue of the Delaware Journal of Public Health.
Bianca Mers (left) and Dorothy Dillard (right)
The article, entitled “Considering the Benefits Cliff Embedded in the Relationship between Housing and Health,” examines the impact of the benefits cliff on the work being done by REACH Riverside and the EMPOWER Program at Kingswood Community Center.
Article Abstract: This Commentary introduces the reality of the benefits cliff into the housing and health relationship. Improving both housing and health requires addressing the benefits cliff facing extremely low- and low-income people. Those living below the poverty line are at greatest risk of poor, inadequate, and unhealthy living conditions. They are also the group most at risk for losing benefits and economic supports on their journey toward economic self-sufficiency. Addressing the housing crisis in Delaware demands that we recognize the benefits cliff looming on the horizon for extremely low- and low-income families struggling toward self-sufficiency. Effective policies and interventions, at a minimum, need to be informed by the experiences of those struggling to navigate the benefits cliff and achieve economic mobility and need to be integrated across housing, economic benefits, and health care.