In his first act as the new president of the National Association of Counties (NACo), Tarrant County, Texas Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks announced at the annual conference that “Serving the Underserved” will be NACo’s 2017-2018 Presidential Initiative.

Remarks from The Honorable Brooks:

“From early childhood development to workforce development, from homelessness to health, counties are investing in services that break cycles of poverty and help people thrive. Counties put people first, but poverty can push them to the end of the line. We are partnering with the public, private and non-profit sectors at the federal, state and local levels to remove barriers, build opportunities and address the many faces of poverty in America.”

Additional background from NACo about ‘Serving the Underserved’:

On June 30, NACo released “Counties Addressing Poverty: Serving the Underserved” – a new report on the county role in combating poverty. The report examines at the varying poverty rates across our nation’s counties, county anti-poverty efforts and federal economic opportunity programs that are county-administered. Additionally, the report includes recommendations for Congress on how they can engage with local decision makers as they work to reauthorize and improve federal poverty programs.

Serving the Underserved: Counties Addressing Poverty (July 2017 NACo Report)