With inspiration from a local school district, a legislator in Washington state passed legislation aimed at using public housing dollars to encourage parents to get involved in their kids’ education. The community spirit that it invokes, he suggests, is something that other governments should look to as a model.

“The answer to poverty is not just throwing money at programs,” said State Rep. Hans Zeiger, a Republican from Puyallup. “The role of government, which has limited dollars, is not to take the place of relationships, but to leverage relationships using limited resources.”