Circles Gainesville

Circles

Circles Gainesville at Faith Mission is part of a national movement to help families move out of poverty and towards economic stability while removing local barriers that keep families in poverty.

We seek to accomplish this through community-building between people across socioeconomic differences.

About Circles Gainesville

A Circle Leader is a person making less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Circles Gainesville creates a space for families in poverty to make a plan for stability. A Circle Leader is a person committed to choosing their pathway out of poverty and setting their own pace.
An ally is someone in the middle class who builds a relationship with a Circle Leader. Allies provide a supportive network for encouragement and planning, as Circle Leaders work toward their goals. Allies have a unique opportunity to learn about the complexities of poverty and make a change.
A diverse array of Gainesville community members gather in five collaborating Resource Teams to understand, engage with, and sustainably address poverty in our community and to support Circle Leaders as they moving towards thriving.

Get Involved

Circle Leaders are individuals within a family unit who are ready to lead themselves towards their vision of financial stability. Potential Circle leaders make between 100-200% of the federal poverty level and can commit to the 18-month length of the Circles Gainesville program.
Circle Leaders are matched with two Allies (middle to high-income individuals). Together, they agree to an intentional friendship of support and mutual learning by attending weekly Tuesday night meetings. Circles Tuesday meetings include dinner, child care, and wonderful small and larger group sessions that help families journey to financial stability.

Those who apply to become Circle Leaders agree to participate in 12 sessions of online training that cover goal setting, budgeting, barriers to stability, and ways to prepare for the full 18-month program.
Circles is operating in over 75 locations around the U.S. because it works!
Interested? Contact Clair Carter for more information or to begin the application process to become a Circle Leader.

Allies are individuals committed to forming intentional and supportive relationships with a Circle Leader. Two Allies are matched to each Circle Leader, and Allies must be open to increasing their understanding of poverty so they can best encourage their Circle Leader. Together, they agree to an intentional friendship of support and mutual learning by attending weekly Tuesday night meetings. Circles Tuesday meetings include dinner, child care, and wonderful small and larger group sessions that help families journey to financial stability.
Allies commit to the 18-month length of a Circles Gainesville cohort just like Circle Leaders, and together they transform our community! We will prepare you to make this commitment through online training before you are matched with a Circle Leader. Those who apply to become Allies agree to participate in a six-week online preparation course that includes three group sessions.
Contact Meghan Williams for more information or to begin the application process to become an Ally.

Join one of our four collaborating volunteer Resource Teams that serve our Circles community:
- The Tuesday Night Team organizes weekly meeting hospitality and logistics.
- The Jobs and Education Team supports Circle Leaders in reaching their goals identifying helpful programs and service areas.
- The Local Services Team supports relationships with community service providers including: housing, transportation, healthcare, financial assistance, appliance assistance, and mental health community resources.
- The Big View Team learns together in Monthly Community Learning Nights to help understand systemic barriers that prevent families from thriving.
Interested in learning more about one of these Resource Teams? Send us an email (circles@trinitygnv.org).

Make an Impact

To give to Circles Gainesville, select the “Faith Mission” fund. In the memo, paste “Circles Support” to give 100% to our operations. To sponsor a meal for one of our Circles families ($25 suggested donation), select the “Faith Mission” fund. In the memo, paste “Circles Family Meal” to give 100% for a family meal.