CIRCLES™ INITIATIVE
Background on Circles™
36.5 million Americans currently live in poverty which represents 12.3% of the U.S. population. It is a problem that is not only measured by the intangible, personal stories of family hardship and heartache, but also by a real cost burden to society of $500 billion per year. Nationally there are $170B in increased health care problems, $170B in increased crime, and $160B in lost wages and productivity due to poverty (Center for American Progress).
Circles™ is a process of building teams of community members who join families working to get out of poverty. More than 50 communities in fourteen states have embraced the strategy of building relationships across class lines in order to relieve the problems of poverty.
Circles™ Campaign:
The Circles™ Campaign is a transformational approach that partners volunteers and community leaders with families in need. This approach:
- Uplifts low-income families as they move themselves permanently out of poverty.
- Empowers people from every economic class to solve poverty in their communities.
- Provides families with the training, networking, and social capital essential to get out of poverty.
- Changes the systemic barriers and policies that lock people into poverty.
How does Circles™ work?
- Each Circle is a family working to get out of poverty; 2-4 volunteers support the family
- Participant sets goals toward self sufficiency
- Holistic approach addresses all barriers inherent in process of getting out of poverty
- Participants given opportunity and expectation to give back to the community for the support they receive
Circles™ results:
Early results demonstrate that for every $1 spent on the program, $2 in welfare and food stamp subsidies was returned to the state, and $4 to the community as new earned income.
For example: At the Ames Iowa site, the average family in the Circles™ program increased their earned income by 30%. Fifty-eight of the original 106 families who received cash assistance when they entered the Circles™ program were able to leave welfare with an estimated annual savings in public benefits of about $490,000 per year. At the Itasca County Minnesota site, seven of the first ten families who were on welfare, left welfare within twenty months of Circles™ involvement.
Somerset County United Way roles:
Somerset County United Way is partnering with NORWESCAP and the Somerset County Department of Human Services to implement a Circles™ Initiative in Somerset County. The Somerset County effort will initially target twelve families. Expected results are:
83% of families will become employed
67% of families will increase their income to or above 200% of the poverty level
83% of families will decrease their use of public benefits
Ways to get involved:
- Join the Guiding Coalition – lead the planning and implementation of Circles™ in Somerset County
- Become an Ally – Support a motivated low-income family working its way out of poverty
- Become an Ad-Hoc Resource – Donate services or goods as needed to help families achieve success
- Become an Advocate – Help break down barriers that keep people in poverty