This is the issue Eileen Hartnett Albillar hears about most — at every door she knocks, at every event she goes to. People are working hard and still falling behind. That's not a personal failure. That's a policy failure.

Albillar has spent her career on the front lines of this. At the Bucks County Opportunity Council, she didn't just talk about poverty — she administered the programs that provided direct relief to families struggling with rent, utilities, and food. Albillar knows what these systems look like from the inside. She knows where they work and where they break down.

In Harrisburg, her focus will be on:

• Growing the local economy so there are good-paying jobs that can actually support a family — with wages that keep pace with what things cost.

• Fully funding public schools so families aren't forced to fill the gaps out of their own pockets.

• Fighting for policies that rein in utility costs and expand energy assistance programs — the kind of work Albillar did directly at the Opportunity Council.

• Expanding access to affordable housing so families can stay in the communities they've built their lives in.

The other thing Albillar notes is that a lot of what's driving the affordability crisis right now is happening at the level of federal cuts to Medicaid and SNAP and programs that families depend on. Harrisburg needs to be fighting back — making sure people don't get lost when the safety net has holes punched in it. That's not a partisan statement. That's just what it means to show up for constituents.