Donna Lynne, Colorado’s lieutenant governor and chief operating officer, is working with Ascend the Aspen Institute to identify two-generation poverty and pool resources to break the cycle.

Ascend describes two-generation approaches as a focus on creating opportunities for, and addressing the needs of, both children and the adults in their lives together.

“The approach recognizes that families come in all different shapes and sizes and that families define themselves,” the institute says.

Lynne says the key is recognizing that there are two worlds that exist out there.

“I think it’s substantial for people who are still in poverty in Colorado,” she said, “so recognizing that we’ve got to own it and help them and provide them with some resources.”

That means reaching across state lines and involving several state departments.

“There are so many people in Colorado that are experiencing these issues,” she said. “So through our Education Department, through our Higher Education Department, through our Human Services Department, through Medicaid, we have our fingers on the people and really want to make sure we’re coordinating to help them as much as we can.”

For instance, she says supporting young parents who might still be in school is important so they have resources to combat the perpetuation of poverty cycles and instead become economically stable.

A lack of affordable housing in Colorado’s metro areas is another concern.

“As Denver gentrifies, then some people are moved out of traditional places where they had housing and then there’s got to be another place for them,” she said. “It’s not just an affordability issue, you know – ‘Can I afford an apartment in Denver for a certain amount of money?’ – it’s that the expansion of the population is impacting existing neighborhoods and the people who live in them.”

She says providing state and federal incentives for low-income housing is critical.

Finally, Lynne says letting states do the work themselves and building partnerships throughout the state are key in fighting the perpetuation of 2Gen poverty and in making sure families have economic security and success.

“We have hundreds if not thousands of nonprofits and foundations that touch people who are in these situations, and so developing relationships actually gives us a lot more power than organizations doing this work one by one,” she said. “So it’s very very collaborative and holistic approach in bringing these strategies into our state’s departments, as well as supplementing what these nonprofits are doing.”

The child poverty rate in Colorado is 14.7 percent, according to the latest numbers available. The national average is 23 percent. In 2015, 12 percent of Coloradans had incomes below the poverty line ($24,250 for a family of four), according to the Center for American Progress.