MISSION

Building community to end poverty through intentional friendships, personal transformation, and systemic change led by the people closest to the challenge.

VISION

All individuals live in equitable, thriving communities where poverty no longer exists.

“Circles is one of the best models for long-term poverty reduction I have ever encountered. It sets up a new dynamic that puts the families who want to become economically stable in the driver’s seat rather than being viewed as clients choosing predetermined options. All involved create a community conversation to reduce poverty regionally.”

— Lynette Fields (Executive Director of Poverty Solutions Group)

tabsection

Circles USA Annual Impact Reports

®

“In 2023, we strengthened our offerings and tools to support our chapters wherever they are in their journey, whether just launching, serving their first cohort of Circle Leaders, supporting multiple cohorts, or even expanding into multiple locations. So this has been a year of deepening and expanding Circles, not only in what we do as a successful anti-poverty initiative but in understanding who we are and what we really do. Circles USA is a teaching organization offering the model, the messaging, the coaching, and the support for the community of practice to do the work. 2023 has given us great clarity around what’s ours to do and what’s next for Circles USA.”

— Kamatara Johnson

(Circles USA Executive Director)

Circles reports chapter results at individual and community levels. Participants steadily grow skills and income, decrease dependence on public assistance, and expande resources and support networks. At the community and national levels, Circles USA connects diverse peoples across class lines and ideology, changes attitudes about poverty, and contributes to policy change.

Circles USA collects participants’ survey data prior to the start of the initiative, after training, and then every six months during the initiative. Longitudinal data is collected at 24, 36, and 48 months.

Case Studies

Denny, Justin, Brian Garvey, Lenie Nguyen, and Abia Sebaka. “Poverty Reduction and Determinants of Health.”

Journal of Poverty, January 13, 2024, 1–14.

Public health professional students at the University of Western Australia (UWA) Sebaka and Nguyen, along with UWA Associate Professor Denny, analyzed multiple years of Circles USA data and found significant income growth for participants. The UWA research team, along with Garvey (an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University), synthesized this data into a new resource for academic and independent sector workers in poverty alleviation.

Circles USA’s Cliff Effect Report for New Mexico First:

Policy Recommendations for Advocates, Leaders, and Stakeholders around the Cliff Effect

Circles USA has identified the cliff effect as the biggest barrier to families to getting out of poverty. The cliff effect occurs when working families lose public benefits faster than they can earn income to replace the lost resources. This report will examine the cliff effect felt by New Mexico families using three hypothetical cases. The cases are followed by recommendations for possible remediation to lessen the impact of the cliff effect. The data presented in this report is based upon the cliff effect estimating tool (CEPT) developed by Circles USA for New Mexico.

Office of Family Assistance Brief:

“Social Capital Initiatives

To Achieve Employment Goals”

In 2019, Circles USA was featured as an innovative strategy for TANF programs in a brief from the Administration For Children & Families’ Office of Family Assistance This brief was part of the Office of Family Assistance’s Emerging Practice Series, highlighting how TANF agencies and their partners are helping low-income individuals gain and sustain meaningful employment.

Cliff Effect Report Released in Michigan:
Policy Recommendations for Advocates, Leaders, and Stakeholders around the Cliff Effect

The report focuses on the Cliff Effect from Michigan’s Family Independence Program (FIP), Food Assistance Program (FAP), and Child Development and Care Program (CDC). Policy-level recommendations focus on bringing awareness to key stakeholders (public officials, community leaders, and Michigan employers) about the impact of the Cliff Effect on families seeking economic self-sufficiency, development of community assistance programs to help families avoid cliffs, and the development of employment training programs to help displaced workers in Michigan.

Carmen’s Story
(Circles Northwest Arkansas)

Carmen Gonzalez of Circles Northwest Arkansas spoke about how Circles helped her grow trust alongside ﬁnancial stability.

“Before Circles, I didn’t have a lot of faith in humanity. I didn’t believe in myself; I didn’t have people I could depend on locally. I joined Circles and met people who genuinely cared and wanted me to succeed in ways that no one has ever wanted for me before. That was life-changing for me and my family.”

Annual results show positive impact for local communities.

— Kamatara Johnson (Circles USA Executive Director)

Results are reported on the individual and community levels. Participants experience increased skills and income, decreased dependence on public assistance, and expanded resources and support networks. At the community level, Circles USA connects diverse people across class lines, changes attitudes about poverty, and contributes to policy change.

Circles USA collects survey data prior to the start of the initiative, after training, and then every six months during the initiative. Longitudinal data is collected at 24, 36, and 48 months.

Circles USA Leadership Team

Kamatara Johnson

Executive Director

(Albuquerque, NM)

Addie Hartnett

National Coach

& Southeast Regional Support

(Orlando, FL)

Gena Atcher

Administrative Coordinator

(Rapid City, SD)

Kris Alexander

Curriculum Development Specialist (Asheville, NC)

Courtney Cowan

Information Systems
& Design Manager
(Lowell, AR)

Board of Directors

Joan Kuriansky

Board Chair and former

Executive Director of Wider Opportunities for Women

(Washington, DC)

Jim Masters

Board Treasurer and President of Center for Community Futures (Berkeley, CA)

Jennifer Pelling

Board Member & Director of Tsuha Foundation

(Austin, TX)

Van Green

Board Member, Director & Founder of "Universal Soldiers" Men's Group, and Collegiate Basketball Coach
(Sacramento, CA)

Board Advisory Council

Circles USA proudly launched a new Advisory Council in July 2022. This group, tasked with amplifying diverse participants’ voices to guide the national board’s decisions, has met eight times to date, addressing topics ranging from “What does success look like at Circles?” to mental health; building community across chapters; and long-term chapter sustainability. The inaugural Advisory Council consists of 10 people from 10 different chapters—rural, urban, and suburban; new chapters and veteran ones. As this Council cohort winds down, we are considering the best timing for the next cohort. We look forward to bringing together more fresh perspectives to serve this important role in the Circles family.

Founder

Scott Miller, Founder (Albuquerque, NM)

Since the late 1970s, Scott has initiated numerous projects in North America to help families and communities more effectively address poverty. He has spent decades developing tools and best practices for helping low income people navigate their way out of poverty for good. Scott is the author of several books about poverty reduction. Scott retired from Circles USA in 2021 and still serves as a consultant for select pilot sites working towards building a Poverty Alleviation System in their community.

Regional Coaches

Michelle Crawford, West Region (Salt Lake City, UT)

Shavonne Vasquez, SC and FL Southern Region (Hilton Head, SC)
Cheryl Williams, GA and AL Southern Region (Columbus, GA)
TJ Williams, Central Region (Fayetteville, AR)
Helen Rai, Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach (Richmond, VA)
Andrew Sprock, Midwest Regional Support (Marion, IN)

Consulting and Support Team

Amy Brooks, Content Writer & Editor (Minneapolis, MN)
Jeannie Chaffin, Poverty Alleviation Systems Consultant (Washington, DC)
Lynette Fields, Expansion Advisor, Director of Poverty Solutions Group (Orlando, FL)
Alexis Jorgensen, Assistant (Lowell, AR)
Jenny Lipfert, Graphic Designer (Cornish, NH)
Natalie Oh, Marketing and Communications Consultant (Boston, MA)
Lise Porter, Mental Health Specialist (Glendale, CA)
Sarah Thornburg, Poverty Alleviation Systems Liaison (Ypsilanti, MI)
Chris Tinney, Sales Ambassador (Las Vegas, NV)
Dr. Evie Trevino, Quantitative Psychologist and Consultant (Bixby, OK)

Our Partners

The Circles model is unique because it easily integrates into existing support agencies. A Circles chapter can be launched by a range of organizations, including social service agencies, food banks, chambers of commerce, or houses of worship. The diverse nonprofit organizations, foundations, and corporations listed below have all been instrumental in launching and/or supporting Circles chapters across the country!

“Our group spoke to Circles USA personnel, leaders of Circles affiliates, and representatives of other kinds of self-sufficiency and community-building programs. The decision to choose the Circles model came down to this: Circles is an established program with a proven track record of success.”

Sarah Thornburg, former executive director
of Friends In Deed (Ypsilanti, MI)

What is the Big View Policy Platform?

Circles USA’s Big View Platform frames policy recommendations within the local, state, and national scope. This Platform, informed by our original National Big View Team and authored in 2020 by Board Chair Joan Kuriansky, addresses six issues our chapters flagged as high priority.

It also emphasizes Circles USA’s commitment to addressing the structural biases that unjustly affect people of color and other historically marginalized communities. These six issues are more relevant today than ever before. Circles chapters across the nation deepened and expanded their Big View work this year, tackling systemic change with collective knowledge drawn from government, schools, nonprofits, businesses, and philanthropies.

Healthcare
Housing
Transportation

Quality Jobs
The Cliff Effect
Broadband Access

Download our Big View Policy Platform

2 Pages: PDF | PPT 4 Pages: PDF | PPT 14 Pages: PDF | PPT

Quality Jobs

Workers have access to jobs that pay a living wage with opportunities for career advancement and the benefits necessary to meet their dual responsibilities as workers and family members. Employers create workplaces that are inclusive and safe.

Check out our Podcast:

The Big View: Ending Poverty in Your Community.

Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The video version is available to watch exclusively on our Youtube channel.

What is the Cliff Effect?

As part of our Big View Policy Platform, Circles USA specially assists local chapters in identifying, bridging, and eliminating the Cliff Effect. This phenomenon (also known as a “benefits cliff”) happens when a raise or other income gain triggers the loss of benefits worth more than the wage increase. Our multi-pronged approach supports workers facing the Cliff and offers alternatives to employers and policy makers hoping to mitigate its effects.

How is Circles USA resolving
the Cliff Effect?

For seven years, Circles USA has been conducting research and developing tools to better inform families and policy makers about this barrier that too often keeps people trapped in poverty.

Circles USA recently produced a policy platform that provides local, national, and federal recommendations for mitigating the Cliff Effect.

In previous years, Circles USA prototyped a planning tool to estimate the income levels that prompt the loss of benefits. Additionally, several states commissioned our researchers to make recommendations. For Michigan, Circles USA produced a field scan of solutions nationwide. For New Mexico, our report included case studies that point to ways to resolve the Cliff Effect. Several Circles chapters also piloted an online calculator developed by Leap Fund. This tool helps recipients of public benefits understand whether they will hit a cliff, when it will happen, and how long it will take them to recover.

More recently, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Community and Economic Development department created the three tools to uncover the barriers to, and opportunities for, improved economic mobility. These tools make the data easily accessible for community planning and decision-making. Circles chapters piloted these resources to better support those who are facing the benefis cliff.

Resources for Understanding and Addressing the Cliff Effect

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Three tools to uncover the barriers to, and opportunities for, improved economic mobility

Snapshot—Assists in understanding the potential short-term financial impact of a new job or income change.
Dashboard—Assists in long-term career planning and flags potential financial barriers to career advancement.
Planner—Assists in detailed career planning while creating a customized budget that helps users navigate potential financial barriers to career advancement.