Inspired, in part, by the work of national poverty expert Dr. Donna Beegle and multiple trainings she has led in Washington County, the CCC now supports direct work to address poverty at multiple levels. CCC poverty initiatives, as a whole, are designed to increase awareness, change practice and policies, create necessary supports, and remove barriers for community members impacted by poverty.
- Poverty Busters is a group working on grassroots strategies to increase poverty awareness locally and to remove the barriers that poverty creates. It’s made up of low-income community members, partners from agencies, and other community members, and it informs and guides the CCC’s work regarding poverty in Washington County.
- Poverty Core is composed of leaders from six agencies and entities in Washington County. They meet monthly to develop new anti-poverty strategies and programming across agencies. Their dual focus is on addressing the symptoms of poverty and creating pathways to financial security.
- Neighbor Group is a group of community members currently living in poverty who support each other through sharing resources, organizing guest speakers, and organizing to inform the work of the collaborative.