·       Community leaders and organizations are essential in the effort to end poverty.

·       Through collaborative efforts, changes in the approach to solving poverty can literally change lives one individual, one family, and one community at a time.

·       A brighter future for each member of a community means a brighter future for the entire community.

As a high-impact strategy designed to bring about long-term change, the Circles® model focuses on:

~ doing "with" not "for".

~ a “hand up” not a “hand out”.

~ developing social capital.

~ the paradigm shift that human services professionals and agencies don’t end poverty alone.

~ significant leadership and participation from the larger community is absolutely necessary.

Circles engages entire communities in owning the solution to poverty with an emphasis on collaboration and leveraging resources.