Nearly 300 low-income women were surveyed by Voices for Children in Nebraska to get their perspective on the difficulty to overcome poverty. Policy Coordinator for Economic Stability and Health Aubrey Mancuso says one obstacle is the “cliff effect”. That is when a working woman receives a raise, more work hours or changes to a higher paying job but reduces their public assistance significantly.

Mancuso says one woman received a 50-cent hourly raise but that reduced her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from $170 a month to $88.

Mancuso says they are making several recommendations to the state to prevent this “cliff effect”.

Of those surveyed 39% were unemployed. Those working made on-average $10.38 an hour.