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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Intergenerational Poverty – Utah

  • ‘I don’t want my daughter to see the struggles I went through’: Ogden program seeks to end Utah’s cycle of poverty, By Christopher Smart, March 31, 2015, Salt Lake Tribune: “Maricela Garcia was born into poverty. But the 26-year-old single mom wants to escape it so that her 3-year-old daughter, Eliahna, will have a better life.  Garcia and her daughter are part of an Ogden-based pilot program called Next Generation Kids that seeks to break the intergenerational-poverty cycle. Thirty families are participating in the program.  ‘We grew up very poor on assistance,’ said the Ogden native. ‘I don’t want my daughter to see the struggles I went through.’  The initiative to end the poverty cycle is the outcome of the Intergenerational Poverty Mitigation Act, passed in 2012. Its sponsor, former state Sen. Stuart Reid, said that by marshaling public and private resources to end poverty, taxpayers would save in reduced welfare and incarceration costs. And it’s the humane thing to do, he added…”
  • State unveils plans to ‘measurably reduce’ rates of intergenerational poverty among Utah children, By Marjorie Cortez, March 31, 2015, Deseret News: “Key state administrators Tuesday unveiled a roadmap intended to ‘measurably reduce’ the number of Utah children remaining in poverty as adults.  The primary goals of ‘Utah’s Plan for a Stronger Future’ are to disrupt cycles of intergenerational poverty and dependence on public assistance. To achieve those ends, the plan establishes four areas of focus: early childhood development, education, health, and family economic stability.