Community Leaders to Gather to Address the Challenges of Poverty in America

HOUSTON - Sept. 10, 2014 - PRLog -- Since 2000, the percentage of the U.S. population living in poverty has increased from 11.3% to 18% based on 2013 U.S. Census Bureau data. aha! Process’s Bridges Out of Poverty (http://www.ahaprocess.com/solutions/community/) program helps local communities, educators, healthcare providers and businesses address the challenges of poverty and improve lives.

The Addressing the Challenges of Poverty conference (https://www.ahaprocess.com/event/addressing-the-challenges-of-poverty/), Oct. 4-8 in Nashville, Tennessee will bring together groups from across the nation to explore best practices and ways to work together to alleviate poverty. The annual conference provides a venue for networking and idea sharing with the goal of creating healthier, stronger communities, colleges and schools. One community group will pedal almost 900 miles to highlight the work they and other communities enroute are doing with the support of aha! Process.

aha! Process is a consulting and training company that works across all sectors of a community to address the root causes of poverty, support individuals as they build resources, and achieve a sustainable community where everyone can live well. For more than 15 years, Bridges Out of Poverty constructs have helped communities and organizations around the world better understand poverty and eliminate barriers for thousands of under-resourced individuals.

“The majority of money spent federally on poverty simply goes to maintenance,” said Dr. Ruby K. Payne, president of aha! Process. “Bridges helps individuals, institutions and communities do more, we help them move forward with our proven ‘triple lens approach’ that provides a foundation of tools and training to help individuals in poverty and the agencies that support them. This event will showcase some of the exciting work being done by our partner communities so that everyone working on the front lines of poverty can benefit.”

Leading up to the event, Chuck Holt, executive director of the Factory Ministries and Tim Rodgers, Pastor, Grace Point Church of Paradise, co-chairs of the Together Initiative in Paradise, Pennsylvania, will lead 16 bike riders on an almost 900-mile journey from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to the Nashville conference to draw attention to the issue of poverty. The cycling team will stop in Charlottesville, Virginia to celebrate the mission with other Bridges Out of Poverty communities.

According to Chuck Holt, “At the Together Initiative, we always say, ‘if you want to go faster, go alone. If you want to go further go together’. It is that cross-sector approach that drew us to the Bridges Out of Poverty work and has been the key to our success in building a stronger Pequea Valley.”

During the conference, aha! Process will also unveil its new book, From Vision to Action II (http://www.ahaprocess.com/store/vision-to-action-ii-book/), which showcases best practices from Bridges communities across the country and highlights their successes in reducing the impact of poverty in communities, education, healthcare and more. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville will host a stop during the bike ride, and is one of the success stories featured in the new book. Habitat has utilized aha! Process training and resources to launch viable community-wide initiatives.

“Instead of building single homes,” said Dan Rosensweig, president and CEO, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, “we are transforming whole areas of town into vibrant and diverse mixed-income and mixed-use communities. Using a more comprehensive approach, we have doubled down on our relationships with families. Guided by a sense of partnership and mutual respect, we have increased education, directed service, facilitated community meetings, and mediation between families in conflict.”

About aha! Process:

aha! Process is an award-winning training and publishing company that works across all sectors of a community to address the root causes of poverty, support individuals as they build resources, and achieve a sustainable community where everyone can live well. They have worked with thousands of schools, employers, hospitals, colleges, first responders, judges, and community organizations, providing concrete strategies and proven tools to help under-resourced individuals thrive. Each program leverages over 15 years of experience strengthened by a growing body of knowledge from communities benefiting from our model. These programs help institutions and communities understand the mindsets of people in poverty and engage with them to build success.

About Together Initiative:

The Together Initiative is a collaborative effort of like-minded organizations and individuals in the Pequea Valley community of Lancaster, PA working together for the common good. In bringing the educational sector into cooperation with the faith based community plus non-profit and governmental agencies, the Together Initiative is making new inroads in the Paradise Valley community. Together we have built a food ministries center, renovated an old elementary school, refurbished park buildings, sponsored aha! Process “Getting Ahead” workshops, tutored summer school students, hosted community block parties, and much more. For more information visit www.togetherforthegood.com.

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