PHX Reporter

The City of Phoenix is home to the 2022 All-America City Award.

With the theme of this year’s competition being “Housing as a Platfrm to Promote Early School Success and Equitable Learning Recovery,” the National Civic League and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading officially handed the award to city officials late this month.

"The @CityofPhoenixAZ is proud to announce we are a 2022 @AllAmericaCity! Thank you to @NationalCivic and @readingby3rd for this prestigious honor. #GLRWeek #HousingAsAPlatform,” city officials tweeted.

Phoenix City Manager Jeff Barton said he takes landing the honor personally.

“As someone who grew up in public housing during my childhood, I understand the impact these programs have on our residents,” he said in a press release. “It takes a village to aid in the success of our youth and I am proud to lead a city that takes initiative to make a positive impact on its residents."  

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego wasted little time cheering on the city’s latest accomplishment, especially given all the unforeseen obstacles city leaders faced.

“COVID-19 caused a profound shift in traditional learning,” she said. “As students transitioned to an online learning environment, we knew too many families were missing the basic tools needed to navigate this new way of learning. City staff put forth a tremendous effort to close this digital divide, especially for our most vulnerable kids. I'm proud of what we've accomplished, and equally proud the City of Phoenix has been honored with the All-America City Award for the sixth time.”

At the height of the pandemic, the city mobilized community partnerships to distribute upwards of 12,000 laptops to 15 school districts in underserved areas within public housing communities. In addition, the city provided 1,600 tablets and Wi-Fi connectivity to families and seniors for at-home learning, telemedicine and more.