Circles Campaign

The Circles Campaign is a strategy that changes the mind-set of a community so that it wants to end poverty by changing goals, policies, and approaches.

Westmoreland Community Action is beginning the Circles Initiative in Jeannette and Monessen because these communities have some of the higher incidences of poverty in Westmoreland County.

Here are some statistics that might surprise you.

• The United States is the richest country on earth. The United States also maintains one of the highest incidences of poverty among industrialized nations.
  
• 38 million people (12% of the U.S. population) lived below the poverty threshold in 2006 (Census Bureau 206)
  
• 15.7% of individuals in Monessen and 14% of individuals in Jeannette live in poverty.
  
• A family of 4 in Westmoreland County making $24,380 a year is in poverty. A self sufficient wage would be $42,400 a year
  
• In Westmoreland County, 9.2% or 32,785 of individuals and 6.7% or 6,745 families lived in poverty in 2006
  
• 1 in 3 Westmoreland County families in poverty is headed by a single mother
  
• 1 in 10 children in our county live in poverty
  
• A single mother of one in our county must make at least $13.83 per hour ($29,206 gross) to be self-sufficient
  
• Of the 17 school districts in Westmoreland County, Monessen, New Kensington/Arnold and Jeannette have the highest percentage of low-income students
  
• Children in working poor families are less likely to have adequate health care

How You Can Take Part in Circles

WCA encourages you to help families and communities break the poverty cycle. We offer you an opportunity to dramatically impact your community. Please be our partner.

Westmoreland Community Action is in need of community volunteers to become Guiding Coalition Members and Circle Allies, as well as families interested in rising out of poverty and becoming a Circle Leader.

We intend to assist 15 to 20 families in each community. Through their victories and challenges, we will tell the story to Westmoreland County of what it takes to end poverty in our back yard.

Choose your role in shattering poverty in Westmoreland County

• Guiding Coalition - assist in getting community behind Circles initiative
• Circle Leader - a family who wants out of poverty
• Circle Ally - mentors to families in poverty
• Circle Donor - monetary donations assist with costs such as childcare, transportation, food, supplies, etc.

For More Information

Contact Westmoreland Community Action or call  Rebecka Andrae, 724-837-6339, ext 10.

Program Funding

Funding for the Circles Campaign is provided by the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, the PA Department of Public Welfare and The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County.

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