Home//Get Involved//Advocate//Federal Priorities

FEDERAL PRIORITIES

Valley of the Sun United Way is pushing for policy that enhances the lives of all Americans.

housing and homelessness priorities

MC2026 GOAL: Ensure all can have a safe home to call their own. Reduce the number of families and individuals entering or experiencing homelessness by 50%.

  1. Increase funding for programs that provide broader housing options for lower-income Americans, including public housing.
  2. Ensure national housing policy actively supports inclusion, actively roots out discrimination, and promotes housing affordability, especially for the most vulnerable.
    1. Monitor FY25 budget increasing housing access and affordability – FY24 Spending Bill was reduced 28% below the FY23 enacted level, while it maintains housing assistance for vulnerable Americas, including elderly, disabled and veterans.
  3. Increase funding for programs that provide broader housing options for lower-income Americans, including public housing.
  4. Ensure national housing policy actively supports inclusion, actively roots out discrimination, and promotes housing affordability, especially for the  most vulnerable.
  5. Increase awareness about the impact of loss of emergency shelter funding from the loss of American Rescue Plan Act support and the need for HUD to fund prevention resources in Arizona.
  6. Increase awareness about the impact of extreme heat emergencies on the unhoused and lowincome communities to secure greater resources and support for heat related crisis response.

education priorities

MC2026 GOAL: Close opportunity gaps to ensure children read at grade level by 3rd grade and youth are prepared for educational success and employment. Increase the number of 3rd graders reading proficiently by 25%. Increase the number of people between ages 16-24 who are working and/or in school by 38%.

  1. Ensure all families have high quality early childhood education options.
    1. Support funding early childhood education options such as Early Head Start which help fill gaps and support innovative funding options such as matching dollar requirements (25% match).
  2. Ensure all children have access to PK-12 educational opportunities that set them up for longterm success.
    1. Promote the results of fiscal mapping and cost modeling for childcare centers for Phoenix and Southwest Valley to educate stakeholders on systemic gaps impacting education results and workforce needs.
  3. Support access to high quality post-secondary education options that lead to gainful employment and increased professional mobility.
    1. Support the completion of FAFSA and increase participation by funding programs that support this work.

health priorities

MC2026 GOAL: Remove barriers to ensure everyone in our community is healthy, with focus on access to food and health care. Decrease food insecurity by 50%. Increase the number of individuals with access to affordable care by 100,000.

  1. Increase funding for Affordable Care Act (ACA) outreach and enrollment, including targeted outreach to communities of color to close accessibility gaps.
  2. Protect and maintain a robust Medicaid program and supporting Medicaid expansion to support low to moderate income working families.
  3. Expand access to healthy, affordable foods for all Arizonans through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and protect the program from cuts or other harmful changes, helping seniors, families, children, active military members and others.
    1. Support and align efforts with the Arizona Food System Network, which includes Pinnacle Prevention and the Arizona Food Bank Network, around Farm Bill provisions to support and expand SNAP eligibility.

workforce development priorities

MC2026 GOAL: Open pathways to better paying jobs. Increase preparation for a living wage job by 33%. Achievement of higher paying employment by 20%.

  1. Increase investments in the nation’s workforce development system, including programs authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and national service programs designed to serve unemployed and underemployed individuals including dislocated workers, justice impacted individuals, veterans, and opportunity youth, and high school students preparing for college or a career.
  2. Educate community through coalition meetings how job seekers and employers’ access WIOA funding.
    1. Partner with the Arizona Department of Economic Security and the Office of Economic Opportunity to host community learning sessions where workforce and economic development professionals can attend and explore different programs such as apprenticeships, internships, training one-stops and information on accessing WIOA funding in Arizona.
  3. Enhance the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit to provide ongoing income support to struggling families and help build thriving communities.
    1. Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-wage workers not caring for children at home.
    2. Make the Child Tax Credit (CTC) fully refundable to the lowest income families with children.

Other priorities

County priorities

Our county policy priorities aim to enhance the lives of Maricopa County residents.

Learn More

STATE PRIORITIES

Our state policy priorities offer a range of solutions aimed at improving the lives of Arizonians.

Learn More

For more information, please contact:

Beatrice “Bea” Rocklin
(602) 499-8600
Bea@beaspoken.com

Translate