Jovon Perry wants every Minnesota family to have equitable access to health and wellness, economic assets, social capital, career pathways and nurturing learning environments. She helps make this a reality in her role overseeing cash and food assistance and employment programs for the state.
Perry believes the right strategies can help “families go beyond the minimum definition of self-sufficiency to truly thriving.” Among the best ways, she believes, is to serve children and their caregivers simultaneously, which is known as a multi-generational or whole-family approach. This recognizes that a child’s success is tied to their caregivers’ stability. Also, it addresses families’ needs such as health, financial stability, employment and education together, rather than in silos.
For Perry, success would mean the whole-family approach becomes a directive for all Minnesota state systems and a model for all state governments.
Perry describes growing up among hardworking people trying to survive poverty and learning that families and communities know what they need. Now, she’s committed to co-creating systemic solutions to poverty and inequity with low-income families, community organizers, tribal members, direct service providers and state staff. “It’s not that people aren’t working hard enough, are lazy, or undeserving,” Perry said. Rather, it’s that our systems are designed to create haves and have-nots.”
Nelson Mandela’s quote “It always seems impossible until it’s done,” sustains Perry as she grapples with solutions to complex social problems.