Jesus said, "The poor will always be with you."  An unpleasant and oft forgotten truth of modern American life is that pockets of desperate poverty still exist despite America’s unsurpassed wealth and privilege.  The values of Utah and her citizens do not allow us to ignore or “give up” on those in need. 

But what is the proper role of government in fighting poverty?  Government can help to establish an environment which encourages economic opportunity, capitalism, and entrepreneurship so that those who are the smartest and work the hardest will be rewarded the most.  In order for there to be plenty of hard-working smart people around there must be good educational system as well.  Broad-based economic development, quality education coupled with individual and corporate responsibility is the only way to make quality jobs available to those who most need them.

Government must also encourage an environment where compassion and charity can flourish.  Government alone can not alleviate poverty.  Only as a united community of individuals can we hope to have a lasting impact.  Government bureaucracy hobbles the efforts of community-based agencies and small groups of committed individuals who make the greatest impact on improving the conditions of the least fortunate among us.

Finally government must encourage the creation of dynamic neighborhood communities where people of mixed socio-economic condition live and together.  Here are some of the ways I believe can help alleviate poverty:

Poverty:

• First, and most importunately, improve education, so that low-income and minority children have the skills and ability to exploit the opportunity that is America.
• Support community-based agencies who offer long-term solutions to lifting people in need up out of poverty.
• Increase available dollars targeted to alleviate poverty; enabling local governments and community-based organizations greater flexibility in the use of these dollars, while requiring outcome based metrics.
• Focus on long-term solutions to the problems of poverty faced individuals and families:  After all, simply providing money (and food) to a person is only a temporary fix; In order to lift them out of poverty, you must teach them how not to be poor, and that is a more complicated task.

Affordable Housing:

• Support home-ownership programs, which enable more Utahn’s to own a home.
• Support strengthening local RDA powers to create Multiple-Use-Developments that include affordable housing, which provide for mainstream inclusion of low-income people into communities of mixed economic status.
• Oppose “projects” or the creation or continuation of “poverty neighborhoods”
• Improve local control and range of incomes permissible under “low cost housing options”, again to create economically diverse neighborhood communities.