Our mission is to end poverty and homelessness. We do this by mobilizing faith-based and community partners, activating individual and community assets and talents, and meeting immediate needs in our community.

Good Samaritan Ministries' September E-news

Moving People to Financial Mobility:

Fifth Third Foundation supports Circles Campaign

53 bank check

The Fifth Third Foundation has generously approved a $9,000 grant to Good Samaritan Ministries to support the implementation of Circles © into the Neighborhood Connections initiative.

Circles is an 18 month program designed to help move families from economic stability to economic mobility and to initiate systemic changes in the community to eliminate barriers that help keep people poor. Circles consists of volunteers from different economic backgrounds called, Allies, who are matched with a family that is ready to move out of poverty. The participating families are known as Leaders and are expected to set goals and take the action steps needed to become economically mobile.

For more information about Circles and how it will impact the Holland/Zeeland area and to see a link to the Circles (c) website, click here.

Go For It!:

A Circles participant shares her experience

Click on image for Shannon's full story

"Go for it!" That is Shannon's advice to anyone living under the poverty line that is looking to rise above it. She is talking about Circles - a national model for raising people out of poverty that is now being implemented by Good Samaritan Ministries' Neighborhood Connections initiative.

Here's what Shannon has to say about her experience with Circles:

"It raises awareness of poverty." Shannon has taken other classes to help her better manage money, but she says they didn't meet her where she was. She says they start classes by talking about saving money and paying off credit cards. She doesn't use a credit card and doesn't think many people in her financial situation do. And as for saving, "as soon as you get $40 saved, you need a new tire or something." People in poverty, like Shannon, are already behind before the conversation even starts. Shannon hopes that, by participating in Circles, middle class Allies will learn how the poor live and think about money and be better able to help them as a result.

To read the rest of Shannon's story, click here.

NEW Training Video:

Good Sam creates a video to help other agencies

Click image to view video

Good Samaritan Ministries' Housing Assessment and Resource Team (HART) is the central intake point for anyone in Ottawa County who is experiencing a housing crisis. Today, every county or region has an agency that has been assigned this role. Our HART team was asked to produce a video that could be used to train others in how to be an effective central intake agency. Our HART team created this video in-house and in it they describe the various services they provide to the community.

The video is currently housed on our facebook page and can be viewed by clicking on the photo above.

For more information on Good Samaritan Ministries and our programs, see www.goodsamministries.com