Podcast 159: Breaking the Poverty Cycle with Mary Cacioppi

Because poverty doesn't solve itself.

3 Feb 2025 — 1 min read

In this episode, Mary Cacioppi, author of Economic Development That Benefits Everyone: Poverty Reduction Is a Key Strategy, brings her 22 years of combined experience in community development, economic development, and poverty reduction to discuss her groundbreaking approach to economic development.

As the founder/CEO of Bridges to Prosperity Northern Illinois and a national consultant for aha! Process, Mary explains how understanding the root causes of poverty and implementing strategic poverty reduction initiatives can transform communities and create sustainable economic growth across a five-county area.

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Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers

Start using the term "attainable housing" instead of "affordable housing" to reduce stigma and increase acceptance
Conduct a community risk assessment to identify key areas needing attention
Evaluate your community's commitment to poverty reduction using the TRE Institute assessment tool
Create systems for tracking and measuring the utilization of community services
Build collaborative frameworks with other community organizations to avoid duplicate services
Reframe poverty reduction conversations as "upward mobility" when working with elected officials
Assess which community programs are underutilized and need better promotion
Develop strategic plans that integrate poverty reduction with economic development
Focus on creating system-wide changes rather than isolated programs
Engage business community leaders in poverty reduction conversations