A new idea how to end the 'Circle' of poverty Local social service agencies learn about volunteer approach

from the Wooster Daily Record

By RACHEL JACKSON

WOOSTER -- Representatives of social service agencies and individuals alike gathered Monday to hear details of a new approach to ending poverty.

Scott Miller, of Move the Mountain Leadership Center in Ames, Iowa, said it is possible to dramatically reduce poverty by bringing community resources together and forming relationships with those in poverty.

The current social services system might move a few people out of poverty but is not set up to make a large impact, he said.

"It hasn't gotten any better," and it won't until the community works its way into people's lives, Miller said.

Before founding Move the Mountain, Miller worked for an agency whose statistics were less than impressive. In a five-year period, just 10 percent of the people the agency helped actually got out of poverty -- and most of those people got out because they married someone with a job, Miller said.

"Even if the (Wooster) community decides we don't want to use circles, these ideas can be used in different ways" to help families, Miller said.

The basic premise is to match one person in poverty with a "circle" of volunteers. That circle would include several allies or volunteers who encourage and stick with the person. That also would include a coach, who is a trained professional who knows the social services system and can provide advice. Ad-hoc allies, such as those who help fix computers or plumbing, for example, and peers help complete the circle.

A good pilot program would have 25 circles for families who have a reasonable likelihood of succeeding.

"You can bring in more difficult situations later once you have the full community program going," Miller said.

Allies generally spend an average of 18 months getting to know the person or family, but there is no end date, so if allies and families become friends, they can keep working together as long as they want, Miller said.

The hope is the families who succeed in moving out of poverty will go on to help other families move out of poverty, as well.

"Everyone gives back. Reciprocity is a big word," Miller said.

A full-scale Circles program would include several layers of teams to help recruit and train allies, provide resources and keep focused on the bigger picture.

"When people are locked in poverty, their thinking becomes (locked in) the tyranny of the moment," Miller said.

Poverty in the U.S. also is very isolating, when compared to the Third World, where poverty is more likely to be a universal experience, he said.

"Being in poverty is so scary and so lonely," Miller said. Once people are moved from that sense of isolation, depression and other effects are likely to ease.

Circles has had measurable success, although a large-scale study has not been done yet, Miller said.

Between 80 and 90 people attended Monday's information session at St. James Episcopal Church. Among them was Carla Unkefer, the chief operations officer for Community Action of Wayne/Medina Counties.

She said the Circles concept addresses current barriers to ending poverty that she's observed in her work.

"One of the barriers is the lack of time to build relationships ... and the lack of enough money," Unkefer said.

Agency staff generally have too many families on their caseloads to be able to spend much time on any one case, she said.

"Our staff has to move on. But the people in the community can work with them," Unkefer said.

And Circles "forces a breakdown" in the isolation that nearly all families face, she said.

Brenda Linnick, executive director of United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties, said most social service agencies would be glad for the help.