A man who had been doing maintenance on an apartment building in exchange for rent came into a Hopelink center one day, asking if anyone knew of a small car that might be available to him. The staff assumed he was doing well if he was in the market for a car. Then the man confessed that he didn’t need transportation. He had lost his job, and his apartment, and he was looking for a car that he could live in.

For this man, and more than 45 million others in this country, “fighting poverty” isn’t about policy initiatives; it is about survival. It isn’t about finding a way out, it is about finding a way to get through the day.

For Hopelink, fighting poverty is about preventing those at risk of crisis from slipping through the cracks, helping those struggling to get by find stability, and providing a path out of poverty whenever possible. It is about supporting the man who lost his job and his home until he is stable and able to exit poverty for good.

Overcoming Systemic Barriers

The 1960s “war on poverty” that gave birth to Hopelink and more than 1,000 other Community Action Agencies nationwide called for change from the ground up; “empowering the poor” by addressing core issues around poverty. And while the economic, social and demographic influences that lead to poverty have varied over time, the importance of focusing on core issues has not.

Hopelink is tackling the systemic barriers that can make it more difficult to exit poverty; whether that means ensuring transportation to a medical appointment or to a job in the city for those who are increasingly unable to afford housing in metropolitan areas, providing adult education and program information in various languages for a diverse population, or helping veterans access services.

And we are invested in change from the ground up; addressing such issues as early childhood trauma and multi-generational poverty, while taking steps to ensure that temporary crisis situations do not lead to long-term poverty.

Hopelink: An Alternative to the Status Quo

One of the challenges of traditional funding models for organizations that serve a low-income population is that they are often focused on simply meeting the needs of those in poverty, rather than helping clients exit poverty, preventing them from slipping into poverty to begin with or making changes to the system that enables that poverty. And while services geared toward ensuring stability are critical, these services alone will never eliminate poverty, as the system in which those services are required will always sustain itself. Hopelink’s “Theory of Change” provides an alternative.

Hopelink addresses basic needs – such as food and shelter – to help people in crisis attain stability, while also ensuring that those at risk of losing stability have the support they need to remain secure. For families and individuals in crisis, eliminating the stresses of homelessness and hunger is an essential first step in easing the sometimes debilitating effects of poverty; enabling family members to focus on the next steps required to exit poverty.

For those at risk of hunger or homelessness during times of financial hardship, providing for basic needs can prevent families and individuals from falling into crisis. For example, a family facing eviction is at risk of much more than homelessness; they also will likely face the daunting task of starting over: coming up with first and last month’s rent and a security deposit and finding another landlord willing to accept them. Short-term financial assistance, coupled with other support services aimed at helping the family gain stability, will accomplish much more in the long run.

Hopelink then helps clients acquire the tools, skills and knowledge that will help them exit poverty and permanently change their lives. Because those who turn to Hopelink for help are not earning a living wage, Hopelink programs are geared toward helping clients exit poverty by focusing on increasing their income, improving their employment potential, maintaining stable housing and, when appropriate, advancing their education.

Together, this innovative approach is helping 64,000 people who turn to Hopelink for help every year; ensuring stability and providing a path out of poverty. As we look ahead, we are continuing to increase the number of people we serve who are experiencing poverty, while deepening our work addressing the systemic cause of poverty.
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Original Contribution by Kris Betker, Senior PR Specialist at Hopelink.