PHOTOS: Young Hosts Fifth Fair Shot Agenda Discussion in New Albany

NEW ALBANY, Ind. – Today, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) hosted his fifth Fair Shot Agenda roundtable at the Floyd County YMCA in New Albany, Indiana. The discussion featured speakers representing New Albany non-profits, law enforcement, health, education, and other community groups. Click here to view a full list of speakers.

“After sitting down with community leaders in Indianapolis, Hammond, Fort Wayne, Evansville, and now New Albany, it’s clear that we all share the same desire to help our fellow Hoosiers succeed,” said Senator Young. “These conversations have been very insightful. We’ve discovered that people throughout Indiana have similar suggestions for ensuring all Hoosiers have a fair shot at success – from improved access to affordable housing, transportation, and childcare, to more efficient treatment for those in need of addiction and mental health services. The most common feedback is the importance of positive relationships and mentors. I’m going to continue holding these roundtable discussions across the state to learn more about the challenges our communities face and the actions we can take to create opportunities for all Hoosiers.

The Fair Shot Agenda focuses on four key areas: opportunity, safety, health, and better government.

• Opportunity: How do we improve opportunities for upward mobility, a quality education, and a good-paying job? Senator Young has highlighted apprenticeship programs, career and technical training, innovative solutions for funding higher education, such as Income Share Agreements, and improved access to affordable housing as potential solutions. 
• Safety: How do we ensure the safety of Indiana communities and protect our national security interests? Senator Young highlighted his recently passed legislation, the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, as one measure that can help.
• Health: How do we create strong and healthy families? Senator Young emphasized improving healthcare access, combatting the opioid epidemic, and strengthening adoption and foster care programs as a few places to start. Senator Young also highlighted his recently passed bill to help modernize the outdated foster care placement process. 
• Better Government: How do we create smarter and more efficient government programs that better serve Hoosiers? Senator Young highlighted his recently passed legislation to expand social impact partnerships, which leverage evidence-based public-private funding partnerships to solve some of the nation’s most pressing social challenges.”

Click here for more information on the Fair Shot Agenda. 

What they are saying:

“Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the possibility that every Hoosier has equal access to upward mobility, a quality education, and a good-paying job. At Hope Southern Indiana we are always looking for opportunities for our clients to reach a higher level of self-sufficiency than they ever thought possible.  With Senator Todd Young so dedicated, we are going to see a new generation of success,” said Angie Graf, Executive Director-Hope Southern Indiana.

“As the System of Care Coordinator for Clark and Floyd Counties, our efforts consists of Building a Collaborative Community that ‘Ensures Availability of and Access to Services’ for Children, Youth and Families with Mental Health and Related Needs. Our Network of Community Based Services and Supports work together to explore Solutions to overcome the many Obstacles and Barriers that prevent our clients from mobilizing resources and tailored services that support the Unique, Whole Person. Each community brings its own challenges however, Government is key in that they continue to provide a platform to identify how they can assist in these efforts,” said Ann Carruthers, System of Care Coordinator for Clark and Floyd Counties.

“Greater Clark County Schools is honored to be part of the Senator Todd Young’s round table discussion on his Fair Shot Agenda.  Nothing is more important to us than the safety, well-being and future of our students, and we look forward to working together with all levels of community and government to help every student succeed,” said Jason Graves, Clark County Schools. 

Photos from today’s event are below.