DIMENSIONS OF MOBILITY
Achieving mobility from poverty encompasses the following three interconnected and mutually inclusive dimensions.

Economic success. When a person has adequate income and assets to support their and their family’s material well-being.

Being valued in community. When a person feels the respect, dignity, and sense of belonging that comes from contributing to and being appreciated by people in their community.

Power and autonomy. When a person has the ability to have control over their life, to make choices, and to influence larger policies and actions that affect their future.

PILLARS
The following five pillars support people and families as they propel themselves up and out of poverty over the course of their lives. Together, these five pillars contribute to a person’s economic success, power and autonomy, and sense of belonging in their community.

Click on the heading to see additional information about each.  

  • Opportunity-Rich & Inclusive Neighborhoods. Neighborhoods play a central role in supporting families’ stability and well-being, their access to social and economic opportunities, and their children’s chances to thrive and succeed.

  • High-Quality Education. Education—from prekindergarten through postsecondary—provides a crucial avenue to economic and social mobility.

  • Rewarding Work. Jobs and wages constitute the primary source of income and economic security for most people in the US today.

  • Healthy Environment & Access to Good Health Care. Good and stable health helps people of all ages surmount life’s challenges, excel in school and on the job, ensure their families’ well-being, and fully participate in their communities.

  • Responsive & Just Governance. Governance that is attentive to the needs of all community members and residents who are deeply engaged in collective decision making are hallmarks of a community that supports upward mobility.

Click on the headings to see our City and County Metrics and Predictors, and how we compare to other communities. 

Opportunity-rich and inclusive neighborhoods:
Inclusive and well-resourced neighborhoods play a central role in shaping families’ stability, their access to social and economic opportunities, and their children’s chances to thrive and succeed. Neighborhoods are where children experience critical stages of socioemotional and physical development, where social ties form, and where people access resources and life opportunities (Minh et al. 2017). The ability to find and afford quality housing, to feel welcomed and respected in one’s community and social circles, and to have equitable access to local resources all reflect essential aspects of an inclusive neighborhood.

High-quality education:
Education—from prekindergarten through postsecondary—provides a crucial avenue to economic and social mobility. High-quality preschool programs, elementary schools, and high schools boost academic achievement, college enrollment, and adult success (McCoy et al. 2017). Schools also provide children and teens with networks of friends, peers, and mentors, helping to shape their social identity and feeling of belonging (Grusky, Hall, and Markus 2019). And adults can continue to build skills and credentials throughout life, expanding their prospects for upward mobility (Baum, Ma, and Payea 2013).

Rewarding work:
Jobs and wages constitute the primary source of income and economic security for most people in the US today. Steady work enables people to gain skills and experience so they can advance to higher-paying jobs, building both income and wealth to support their families and boost their children’s prospects (Chenevert and Litwok 2013; Mincer 1975). Work can contribute to one’s sense of personal autonomy and power and provide feelings of accomplishment and dignity. Reliable income and sufficient savings enable people to better weather life’s inevitable challenges and disruptions and to provide a stable and supportive home for their children (Lerman and McKernan 2008)

Healthy environment and access to good health care:
Good and stable health helps people of all ages surmount life’s challenges, excel in school and on the job, ensure their families’ well-being, and fully participate in their communities. Environmental quality reduces people’s risk of health complications that may undermine school or work performance (Evans and Kantrowitz 2002). Access to and utilization of health services can help parents ensure their children receive basic care through critical formative years (Devoe et al. 2012) and enable adults to obtain tests needed for early detection of diseases, enhancing the likelihood of effective treatment (Ettner 1996).

Responsive and just governance:
Governance that is attentive to the needs of all community members and residents who are deeply engaged in collective decision making are hallmarks of a community that supports upward mobility (Pastor, Terriquez, and Lin 2018). A responsive local government empowers the people it serves by ensuring their concerns are addressed. By allocating resources equitably, local governments can help ensure all residents have good prospects for economic success (Hajnal and Trounstine 2010). And when public institutions that are intended to serve and protect
communities act with justice and restraint, residents feel they are valued and respected members of the community (Goff et al. 2019).

Communities interested in boosting mobility from poverty and advancing equity must develop a plan that is inclusive of all five pillars. To help communities assess their baseline and measure progress along each of these pillars, a working group of distinguished scholars identified key predictors that are strongly associated with the five pillars—and that can be influenced by state and local policies in the near term—and a set of 24 Mobility Metrics.

Join Our Mobility Coalition
Join A Working Group to help us create our community’s first ever Mobility Action Plan for poverty reduction. Please let us know which area(s) below you would like to contribute to, and we will keep you updated on meetings and next steps. Complete the form HERE

 

Poverty Reduction Assessment

Take our short, ten question survey to help us assess our community's commitment to poverty reduction.  Click On the Survey HERE