The mission of Live & Learn is to break the cycle of generational poverty for women – most of whom are mothers – living in Maricopa County. The goal is to build these women up so they can take control of their lives, rather than offer them a temporary solution that encourages dependency. It’s providing hope with an action plan. The Foundation-funded grant project, Women Building Resiliency (WBR), was created in response to an identified trend associating program non-completion to the incidence of clients experiencing substance use disorder. “Women struggling with sobriety are not in a position to fully participate in a lifestyle skills-building program,” shared Kristin Chatsworth, Live & Learn’s executive director. “We had to address that first.”

During the initial 12 months of the two-year program, women on the WBR track were provided with extra time, services, and support as they confronted substance use and dependency issues. Once the cohort was on par with the other participants heading into year two of the program, they joined them and continued to completion. The women are given every chance to succeed. “To provide more flexibility and opportunities for participation in our workshops, we are piloting a pre-recorded series of parenting and financial literacy workshops,” said Ms. Chatsworth. “The hope is that more women will connect with this content if it’s offered on-demand so they can view it at a time that works for them. It’s one more way we are meeting our clients where they are.”