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A Wider Circle
The mission of A Wider Circle is to advance equity in the greater Washington, DC region by fostering the exchange of goods, skills, and connections from neighbor to neighbor, and by engaging in advocacy to address the root causes of poverty.
Financials
Programs
Essentail Support
For many of those served by A Wider Circle, the journey out of poverty starts with a furnished home. Each day we hear from families in their first ever homes, often after leaving homelessness or fleeing domestic abuse. Through our Essential Support program we provide 10–15 families each day with beds, dressers, dining sets, couches, and more — all free of charge.
Career Support
Our Career Support program uses a holistic strength-based and customized approach that offers a variety of professional development and career advancement activities, including professional workshops, career counseling, and coaching. Job seekers can also visit our Professional Development Center, where we provide professional clothing to wear to interviews or to their new job at no charge.
Neighborhood Partnerships
Through our Neighborhood Partnerships Program, communities invite A Wider Circle to collaborate and develop a long-term presence because we listen carefully and forge lasting, trusting partnerships. Based at our Ward 8 Hub in DC’s Washington Highlands neighborhood, we work with residents to build service menus that address needs specific to each community. Select services include workforce development workshops, health and wellness programming, family enrichment, support to resident leaders for community engagement, microgrants for community-led initiatives, and more.
Partnership to Independence
The Partnership to Independence (P2I) initiative is a 3-to-5-year program offering long-term, intensive, multi-generational support to families facing barriers to self-sufficiency. The initiative focuses on helping individuals living with low incomes achieve success related to employment and professional development, financial management, stable housing, and access to appropriate community services. The first cohort of the P2I program is now entering its fifth and final year. The second cohort is launching in early 2023, and will be based at our Ward 8 Hub.
Advocacy
A Wider Circle is driven by our vision of a future without poverty. Since our inception, we have worked to innovate, partner, and serve so that one day, all of our neighbors have the resources they need to thrive. Every day, neighbors we serve share stories of policies and systems that have caused — and continue to perpetuate — their hardship. While the services we provide are critical, we know that direct service alone will not create the long-term change needed to end poverty. To help create this change, we launched our new Advocacy program in 2023.
Volunteering + Events
Volunteering at A Wider Circle
From the day A Wider Circle was founded, volunteers have been at the heart of our efforts. Every day a person volunteers here translates into more families having the opportunity to create stability and independence.
A Wider Circle is an open and welcoming environment for everyone. We welcome volunteers who need to complete SSL hours, we welcome volunteers who need to complete court-ordered hours, and we welcome volunteers who are looking for episodic and long-term volunteer opportunities.
All new volunteers are asked to participate in a virtual orientation session. Volunteers will learn about the history and mission of A Wider Circle and its volunteer program. Additionally, volunteers will learn A Wider Circle’s and our volunteer program’s policies and procedures and about the different volunteer opportunities that are available. This will take 1 hour.