PUBLIC POLICY

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Public Policy Priorities

Advocating On Your Behalf

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona envisions a community where every child receives a high quality education from cradle to career, every adult has the opportunity to thrive financially and at work and every older person can retire and age with dignity. We work for this vision by bringing partners from every sector — business, non-profit, government, health, education and social services — together, to tackle problems in our community and work for change.

Public policy at local, state and national levels has an important role to play in making change in our community. We work with our partners, including United Way affiliates in the state and United Way Worldwide, to educate and advocate for effective policy.

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona’s Public Policy Agenda reflects our priorities in the areas of education, financial wellness and stability, healthy communities and our acknowledgement of the interaction between them. We work to provide background on education, financial and health issues to policymakers and others.

You can help by educating yourself about the needs and issues in your community, telling your elected officials and candidates about critical needs in your community, and sharing your stories and issues with us.

ABOUT US

Many factors affect our community’s ability to thrive, including conditions where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age. United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona’s 2026 Public Policy Agenda reflects our priorities in addressing these factors. Our specific goals include:

EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS

Expand equitable access to high-quality educational pathways for children, youth, and adults for lifelong success.

FINANCIAL WELLNESS

Increase financial wellness resources, including workforce development and household stability.

HEALTHY LIVING

Improve access to physical and mental health resources for under served families and individuals.

Housing Stability & Homelessness

Increase equitable access to affordable housing for all and supportive services to prevent and alleviate homelessness.

LIVE UNITED

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona (UWTSA) envisions a community where every child receives a high quality education from cradle to career, every adult has the opportunity to thrive financially and at work and every older person can retire and age with dignity. We work for this vision by bringing partners from every sector – business, non-profit, government, health, education and social services – together, to tackle problems in our community and work for change. Public policy at local, state and national levels has an important role to play in making change in our community. We work with our partners, including United Way affiliates in Arizona and United Way Worldwide to educate and advocate for effective policy.

Education

EARLY CHILDHOOD

Increasing the diversity of resources to fund early care and education and using the federal Child Care Development Block Grant to increase access and quality to childcare (e.g. increasing subsidy rates).

HIGH QUALITY

Increased funding for, and equitable access to high-quality early childhood programs, early care and education (birth to 8 years), and public pre-K to 12^th grade education.

Digital Technology

Increased resources to address disparities in access to internet and broadband/digital technology.

TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Increased funding and access to career and technical education programs, Arizona’s community colleges and public universities.

RE-ENGAGE

Using proven programs to re-engage students who have dropped out of high school to increase graduation rates and improve college- and career-readiness.

Educate

Education of stakeholders about issues affecting our communities in the areas of education (e.g. challenges with access, equity, inclusion, the digital divide); financial wellness (e.g. financial literacy); and health (e.g. end of life care issues).

Education

Promote

Preserving and strengthening programs that promote financial wellness (e.g. Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Care Tax Credit, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).

Support

Policies and programs that support financial literacy and wellness.

Workforce Initiatives

Initiatives to support the workforce including training and professional development for all, and particularly for those disproportionately affected by employment stress, disruption and loss related to COVID-19 (e.g. childcare providers, teachers, healthcare and essential workers; women).

Predatory Lending

Efforts to eliminate predatory lending practices

Healthy Living

Health Insurance

Adequate funding and access to comprehensive health insurance (including dental and behavioral health) (e.g. Kids Care, AHCCCS/Medicaid, and Medicare) and healthcare (including access to telehealth) for all ages.