159: Breaking the Poverty Cycle with Mary Cacioppi

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Mary Cacioppi 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

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

Special Guest: Mary Cacioppi.

Links:

• Mary Cacioppi | LinkedIn
• Economic Development That Benefits Everyone: Poverty Reduction Is a Key Strategy by Mary Cacioppi
• National Consulting Work — Bridges to Prosperity Northern IL
• Bridges to Prosperity Northern IL
• aha! Process - Poverty Reduction Professional Development and Solutions