Sen. Tony Hwang to Join CWCS 2Gen Advisory Council to Address Inter-generational Poverty

January 21, 2019
Sen. Tony Hwang & Comm. Steven Hernandez

Sen. Tony Hwang with Commission on Women, Children & Seniors Commissioner Steven Hernandez

Today, on Martin Luther King’s Day of Service that is intended to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems, and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”  State Senator Tony Hwang (R-28) proudly announced that he will be joining the Connecticut Commission on Women, Children and Seniors (CWCS) 2Gen Advisory Council, which was designated by Connecticut Public Act No. 18-19 to be a conduit for selected community and State leaders, advocates, and scholars to develop sustainable solutions to intergenerational poverty through a Two-Generational and breaking down cycles of poverty.

“On this MLK Day of Service, I am incredibly grateful and excited to join the 2Gen Advisory Council. I have always been passionate about ensuring that the State of Connecticut does the best job possible to protect our most vulnerable populations, and the Council seemed like a natural fit,” said Senator Hwang. “Generational poverty is a problem we have been wrestling with for a long time, and I believe that the 2Gen approach will allow us to see the way forward to creating programs and policies that work for the whole family.”

Past approaches to addressing generational poverty have focused on helping children, or helping parents and guardians. The 2Gen approach takes a different route by developing programs and resources for the entire family. This integrated approach harnesses education, economic support, social capital, and health and well-being to create a legacy of economic security that passes from one generation to the next.

“The 2GEN initiative is about coordination and accountability in helping lift families sustainably out of poverty. Our work in 2GEN with our sister states across the nation is an innovation that could help us link families to training and workforce, while ensuring that they don’t fall into success cliffs along the way,” said CWCS Commissioner Steven Hernandez. “A necessary component of this work is ensuring that our agencies of government and their agents on the ground work seamlessly, with minimal barriers in data and resource sharing. This is not a ‘safety net’ strategy; rather a way for policies and practice to break cycles of enduring poverty through coordinated planning that includes the parent as a key stakeholder and decision maker.”

Senator Tony Hwang represents Connecticut’s 28th State Senate District, which includes the towns of Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Easton, Newtown and Sandy Hook