Zero Poverty Project with Helping Hands Ministry of the Ecumenical Community Center

Zero Poverty Project

Our mission is

to address the needs of
low-income individuals in Linn County
and engage the Linn County community
in working towards the elimination of poverty.

This Project focuses on

the causes of poverty, not its effects,
and shifts the paradigm
away from a service delivery model
to a self-sufficiency model.
The key difference is the
ongoing relationship with allies
who have adequate time for the individual,
are not afraid of holding him or her accountable
for mutually-agreed upon goals,
and can undertake a comprehensive approach
to the family’s problems and strengths.

Beyond support to individual families,

the ZPP Guiding Coalition involves
business, government leaders, community organizations and individuals
in an ongoing local and national discussion
that results in the development of a long-term action plan
to end poverty in the United States.
Annual summits occur in the Fall.

The ZPP Wish List is at the bottom of this page

Services

ZPP believes that individuals and families are best helped to arise out of poverty through close, personal, long-term support. Circles of Accountability and Support, composed of a small number of volunteer “allies” and a family unit in need, create informal networks that complement the publicly funded safety net and emergency assistance efforts. Together, circles learn and implement effective approaches for getting out of poverty, concentrate on goal setting and strategies for success, and hold participants accountable for achieving their mutually-agreed upon goals.

Eligibility

Many individuals who are on public assistance want desperately to move away from that cycle of dependency, but have failed in the past because of lack of support and guidance. There are also numerous hard-working, play-by-the-rules individuals whose wage is too high to make them eligible for public assistance but too low to be self-reliant. Alternatively, many individuals who once qualified for public assistance have now exhausted the federal 5-year limit. Thus the target population includes those in Linn County who want to be employed but aren’t and those who are employed but at below a sustainable living wage.

Location and Hours

The ZPP is located in
the Helping Hands Ministry office in the Ecumenical Community Center
Our office is open 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday.
Appointments are required.