Stable and healthy families

Overview

A stable and healthy home environment creates the foundation for all mobility outcomes. Individuals who grow up in families with sufficient financial resources, stable housing arrangements, and good physical and mental health are more likely to experience positive economic mobility outcomes at every life stage.

Family stability is bolstered by financial security, workforce, health, housing, and justice strategies.

Evidence-based strategies

	Description	Issue Areas
Broadband access and digital skills	Providing low-income residents with broadband internet access, hardware subsidies, and digital skills classes	Housing and community development
Child care and early education programs	Supervision, curricula, programming, and healthy learning environments for children ages 0-5	Early childhood
Creating affordable housing	Using legislative, operational, and financial methods to facilitate the construction of more affordable housing	Housing and community development
Financial education and counseling	Providing coaching, coursework, tools, and more for participants to improve their short- and long-term financial wellbeing	Financial security
Government-levied fines and fees reform	Reducing or eliminating financial penalties, waiving debt, and expunging records for minor offenses	Justice and public safety Financial security
Guaranteed income	Providing unconditional cash transfers to residents at regular intervals	Financial security
Gun violence prevention	Preventing gun violence through limiting gun access and circulation, and raising public awareness	Health and well-being Justice and public safety
Housing stability and displacement prevention	Increasing housing stability for tenants at risk of displacement and homelessness	Housing and community development Justice and public safety Financial security
Improving access to healthy food	Removing cost and distance barriers to healthy food for children and families	Health and well-being
Increasing access to health care	Eliminating financial, physical, and other barriers to health care access and quality	Health and well-being
Living wage laws	Requiring all employers within a jurisdiction to pay wages adjusted to local living costs	Financial security
Maintaining safe and healthy housing	Ensuring that existing affordable homes and rental units remain safe, healthy, and high-quality	Housing and community development Health and well-being
Navigating health care systems and services	Supporting residents in accessing care, understanding health information, and making informed decisions	Health and well-being
Protecting worker well-being	Helping residents balance work, health, and caring for family	Post-secondary education and workforce development Financial security Health and well-being
Reducing obstacles to receiving public benefits	Improving resident experience in learning about, applying to, and receiving aid	Financial security Health and well-being
Reproductive health and education	Reducing STI transmission and unintended pregnancy by teaching and encouraging safer behavior and decision-making	K-12 education Health and well-being
School-based supports for child health and well-being	Positioning students to be physically and emotionally ready to learn	K-12 education Health and well-being
Supports for expecting parents and families with young children	Increasing access to high-quality health care and education for new and expecting families	Health and well-being Early childhood
Supports to improve outcomes for youth in foster care	Direct supports for foster youth, training programs for prospective foster parents, foster care models, and programs aiming to preserve and reunify families	Health and well-being
Wealth building	Supporting wealth creation for low-income households through a range of savings models	Financial security