joining me is felicia gaston of the phoenix project and one of the program participants. felicia, you and i have been friend for a long time. >> a very long time. happy to be here. >> i met you through performing stars which works with much younger children. >> questiyes. >> you started the phoenix program to start young men like gentleman car jacari. >> it's based in marin city and four years ago our community was experiencing lots of high crime. it was affecting so many people. apr every time you picked up the newspaper it talked about young black males robbing people underneath the underpass at the bus stop. it just wasn't a message we wanted to get out. it was just very important to bring resources right into the area where our young men were hanging out. public housing, which is called the 2 a lot and the phoenix project started right then. >> we're looking at some images of some of your young men doing a variety of jobs through the phoenix project. i was happy to cover that story, too. >> yeah. it was so exciting, especially to see that phoenix project focuses on co

. >> now, you know the university of phoenix, which i know their program sponsors in some of the thingsncluding the op low advancing the dream, just in full disclosure. so you're working through university of phoenix to get your degree in communications? >> yes, sir, i'm working right now. >> i got to ask you this. you signed a $120 million contra contract. >> my grandfather always told me education is the one thing that can never be taken from you. my career could be shortened any day. my grandfather when he introduced me to his friends would say this is my grandson who has not graduated from college. all my uncles, cousins, i'm the only one who doesn't have a degree. it's kind of embarrassing. >> people get education at different time and for different reasons. this time for you is about you, though? >> it's all about me. it's about making the commitment to improving. when i'm sitting down, talking to my son and stressing the importance of education, all i have to do is look at the mantle place and show him my degree. and that's going to say all i need to say and it's going to let him

. >> because i can go here and do a program here and transfer for free instead of paying. >> transfer where, here? >> for the phoenixse here and transfer over there to the phoenix house once i get out. it will pick me up, and it's free. >> yeah. well -- >> you'd rather have me go to minnesota? >> yeah. you'll have so much more family support, and i think that's going to be absolutely critical to your recovery, son. >> but it's just going to be hard because like we talked about before with all my friends there and all my -- all my friends use pretty much. >> yeah, they do. >> except two people. >> yeah, they do. >> it's going to be pretty hard. you already know that. when i switched schools, it's pretty hard. out here i'll have a fresh start. >> it will be hard no matter where you go. >> it can go either way pretty much. don't want to be shoveling for five years or surfing for five years. i kind of would rather be the other way. >> but you can snowboard. >> i can go snowboard here. >> but i just think that the support is something that is crucial. >> that's true. i want to choose what's best for me when i get out of

phoenix, not tucson. a big rationale for these programs is, of course, to reduce the power of special interests and change the behavior of the way people actually vote after they're elected. do you have any evidence on whether these clean money and matching arrangements change the behavior of politicians in office, especially vis-a-vis interest groups? >> yes and in. yes and no. on the question of, you know, is there a quid pro quo exchange for campaign or dollars and comparing legislative behavior within arizona or any other of the fully-funded states, i don't know that anyone has done that. but there are two studies, one of which i am co-authoring with death maskett where we find that legislators who are elected using public funding in both arizona and maine appear to be more idealogically extreme relative to their party caucuses. so i've heard anecdotally candidates in arizona say, well, it's much easier now if you eliminate campaign finance marketplace because it used to be to get elected you'd have to be kind of moderate, right? you'd have to go door the door or make the calls, and no one would give

in 2010, the city of phoenix, arizona, identified 222 homeless veterans through its annual census, and employed a programeterans permanent housing. the thinking was that once the issue of housing was solved, veterans could focus on other issues. in august of last year, president obama praised phoenix's efforts to end chronic homelessness. >> here in phoenix, thanks to the hard work of everyone from mayor stan to the local united way to us airways, you're on track to end chronic homelessness nor veterans, period, by 2014. >> and just a little more than four months later in december of 2013, the city of phoenix declared it had become the first city to end chronic homelessness among veterans. by allocating an additional $100,000 in funds to house the remaining 56 homeless veterans. now, while phoenix may have been the first city to complete its mission to end chronic homelessness for veterans, it is not the only city in america to take on this resolution. when we come back, we will speak with the mayor of another city that is working to do the very same thing. so you're telling me your mom has a mom cave? h

phoenix, not tucson. a big rationale for these programs is, of course, to reduce the power of special interests and change the behavior of the way people actually vote after they're elected. do you have any evidence on whether these clean money and matching arrangements change the behavior of politicians in office, especially vis-a-vis interest groups? >> yes and in. yes and no. on the question of, you know, is there a quid pro quo exchange for campaign or dollars and comparing legislative behavior within arizona or any other of the fully-funded states, i don't know that anyone has done that. but there are two studies, one of which i am co-authoring with death maskett where we find that legislators who are elected using public funding in both arizona and maine appear to be more idealogically extreme relative to their party caucuses. so i've heard anecdotally candidates in arizona say, well, it's much easier now if you eliminate campaign finance marketplace because it used to be to get elected you'd have to be kind of moderate, right? you'd have to go door the door or make the calls, and no one would give