New chapter of Circles USA will help dozens of families move out of poverty
By Dayna Peterson, Five County Association
Cedar City, Utah – (February 26, 2026) – Five County Association of Governments is launching a unique poverty-reduction initiative called Circles that is based on building intentional friendships across income lines. In dozens of communities across the country, low-income families have been matched with middle- and upper-income volunteers, and the relationships that form have helped those in poverty achieve financial independence.
These relationships across income lines, or “circles” of support, meet weekly for a minimum of 18 months. The volunteers learn about the culture and trauma of poverty. And, in return, the participants learn how to navigate into the middle class. About half of those who start the program end up sticking with it and achieve an average 71 percent increase in their income at the 18-month mark. They achieve an average 121 percent increase in income after three years.
“The Five County Association of Governments is committed to strengthening Cedar City’s fight against poverty. We’ve chosen the Circles model because it’s backed by 25 years of proven success in communities nationwide. Circles is more than a program—it’s a movement that empowers individuals and mobilizes local resources to create lasting change. By bringing partners together and building actionable plans, Circles aims to reduce poverty rates by at least 10%, transforming lives and strengthening our community,” says Kathryn Moster, Circles Southwest Utah Coordinator.
Graduation from the Circles program occurs when a family’s income reaches 200 percent of the federal poverty level. In Iron County, Utah, 200 percent of the poverty level for a family of four is an annual income of $64,300.
Five County Association of Governments is currently gathering volunteers and referrals for program participants. It’s hoped that the initial class will help 20 participant families.
Circles USA, a national nonprofit based in Albuquerque, N.M., has helped thousands of families in dozens of states since 2008. The Circles USA model is currently being utilized in more than 70 locations.
In the Circles program, participants gain training on how to budget, save money, and increase their income. But what sets this program apart from other poverty-reduction programs is its focus on building social capital. While middle-income families enjoy networks of support through their workplaces, schools, neighborhoods and churches, families living in poverty rarely develop such networks.
In Circles, those living in poverty find peers who are also hardworking and motivated to become financially stable. And this peer support is supplemented with encouragement from middle- and upper-income volunteers who are eager to come alongside them. When support forms around a family, questions are asked, advice is offered, a network of contacts is shared, and the barriers that keep people in poverty start to disappear. With middle- and upper-income friends who have landed jobs, negotiated a lease, or managed credit card debt, those in crisis are more equipped and more confident when it comes to finding a job, asking for a raise, securing housing, or restructuring their debt.
In addition to these supportive relationships, Circles also leverages the resources in a given community to help move a family out of poverty and off of public assistance. Every Circles location has volunteer Resource Teams that link participants to existing community services, jobs, and educational programs. Circles also hosts occasional meetings with community leaders to draw attention to social service gaps or obstacles in the system that are inadvertently keeping people in poverty.
Five County Association of Governments plans to interview potential participants and volunteers for the Circles program in March. Training sessions for both groups will begin in mid-April. There will be an informational session for the general public held on Tuesday, March 17th, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, 70 N. 200 W., Cedar City.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities or participating in the program, contact Dayna Peterson ([email protected]) or Kathryn Moster ([email protected] or 435-865-6902, ext. 162) at Five County Association of Governments.