(December 4) For more than a year, a group of experts has been researching and evaluating policy options and developing a plan to help reduce generational poverty and improve individual and community wealth. Pima County supervisors will hear from the group during their meeting tomorrow and vote on whether to implement their 13 evidence-based policies in the areas of housing, health, education and more, that these experts believe will help drive change in the community. (Tucson Agenda)

(December 6, 2023) Prosperity wins: Pima County Supervisors voted 3-1 to implement the Pima County Prosperity Initiative and its 13 evidence-based policies to reduce generational poverty and improve individual and community wealth. Supervisor Steve Christy opposed the initiative, saying supervisors should not vote on the item until all five districts are represented. Former District 3 Supervisor Sharon Bronson retired last Monday, leaving the seat vacant and 200,000 taxpayers without representation until a replacement is chosen.

“(This) represents much more than our board merely adopting a set of policies and the means for implementing them; it is a moral undertaking,” Supervisor Rex Scott said before voting in support of the initiative. “If we do this right, we can help to improve the lives of thousands within our community, especially its children.”

(January 19) Every year, hundreds of children in Arizona are removed from their homes by the state, leaving their parents to struggle with substance use issues while trying to navigate a complicated system of court dates, caseworkers and additional requirements. The sad reality is that a lot of the time, these parents don’t get their kids back. But one Pima County court program is bucking that trend. (Tucson Agenda)