Our Work » INCOME

Circles

Summary of Our Work

According to the U.S. Census, nearly one in three working families does not earn enough money to meet basic needs.  These families and individuals are often stuck in a cycle of dependency for years, reliant on social service and governmental agencies as they are unable to accumulate savings and overcome emergencies, such as a medical crisis or a costly car repair.

United Way of Northern New Jersey has invested in the national Circles® Campaign to help address the root causes of poverty in Sussex County.  In partnership with NORWESCAP and the Center for Prevention & Counseling, United Way is providing funding, volunteer manpower, and mentoring expertise through Circles to assist these families in achieving financial stability.

Sussex County Circles was launched in 2008, joining some 60 member communities across more than 20 states that also employ the program. Circles is the brainchild of the New Mexico-based Move the Mountain Leadership Center.

Through the program individuals participate in a series of educational classes and are paired with community mentors to help them develop and implement a personalized action plan to lift them out of poverty.

In the short time Sussex County Circles has been in place, it has resulted in two families keeping their homes out of foreclosure, saving local banks more than $400,000.  In addition, Circles graduates have collectively earned $217,300 more than they did prior to joining the program and reduced their debt by $12,450.

Circles Mission

The mission of Circles is to empower people from every economic class to solve poverty in their communities through individual transformation and community change.

The Circles program goals are:

• To assist families out of poverty.
• To document the steps taken to help these families out of poverty and any barriers they faced on their road to financial independence.
• To help local leaders develop and implement plans to assure hardworking families in our communities can thrive.