Curry County selected for national economic mobility program

Curry County has been selected as one of 10 rural counties to be a part of the National Association of Counties (NACo) new Rural Leaders for Economic Mobility (RLEM), a national program with teams of county elected officials and non-elected county leaders to pursue effective strategies to improve economic mobility conditions that move individuals and families out of poverty. Seth Martin, Curry County Commissioner, District 4 and Kristian Price, Curry County Community Services Administrator represent the team from Curry County. Team participants will engage in virtual and in-person learning opportunities, receive technical assistance for program implementation and utilize a $50,000 subgrant to incorporate data and evidence-based policies into local government decision-making.

With only 50% of today’s children going on to earn more income than their parents did, compared to 90% in 1945, the initiative is in the business of leveraging county responsibilities like social service delivery to drive economic mobility and improve economic conditions for residents.

The first counties admitted into the program are:
Audrain County, Mo.
Curry County, N.M.
Hertford County, N.C.
Holmes County, Miss.
Jim Wells County, Texas.
Presidio County, Texas.
San Juan County, Utah.
Telfair County, Ga.
Union County, Ore.
Venango County, Penn.