Ohio's children and youth represent one of our state's greatest assets. Young people ages 0-17 comprise nearly 22 percent of Ohio's population, and approximately 700,000 Ohioans between the ages of 14 and 24 make up nearly 15 percent of the state's workforce (Business Journal, 2025). Every summer, thousands of these young people take their first steps into the workforce, gaining much more than a paycheck. They develop confidence, build essential life and workplace skills, explore career...

By now, we should all be aware that, effective July 1, Ohio's Community Action Agency (CAA) programs and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) officially transitioned from the Ohio Department of Development to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). This transfer consolidates Ohio's energy assistance and anti-poverty programs under one roof. Since the announcement, ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder set a goal for himself and his leadership team to visit all 48 of Ohio's...

In January 1964, during his first State of the Union address, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a “War on Poverty.” He described the widespread poverty in the United States—nearly 20 percent of Americans were poor at the time—as a national disgrace requiring a national response. He also argued that poverty stemmed not from personal failings, but from broader social conditions (War on Poverty, 2023). The War on Poverty led to the creation of several new federal programs and agencies....