For more information on scheduling Bridges Out of Poverty, contact Program Director Paul Hanneman or call 704-926-0612. 

Bridges Out of Poverty opens up the different world of people in poverty, revealing how the survival-based mentality of poverty impacts learning, work habits, and decision-making. Recent research has provided a deeper understanding of how people in poverty face challenges virtually unknown to those in middle class or wealth – challenges from both obvious and hidden sources. You will learn the “hidden rules” of poverty, middle class, and wealth – and the assumptions which people in middle class bring to encounters with people in poverty. You will discover how grief and trauma keep many people locked in poverty. And you will begin to explore practical yet compassionate strategies for engagement that can have positive impact on people’s lives. 

More than 4500 people from the Charlotte area have taken Bridges Out of Poverty, from congregations, nonprofit organizations, social service agencies, businesses, and educational institutions, as well as interested individuals.

Here's what others say about Bridges:

"This was the best training we’ve had since I joined the agency."

"(I have) a much better perspective on life’s challenges for people in poverty…very helpful."

"I feel sure my work at Crisis Assistance Ministries will be positively affected. I have a new appreciation of the complexity of 'survival living.'"

"Challenging people’s way of viewing the world is hard, so I guess if you can get half the room’s 'light bulbs' to go off you’ve done an amazing job. (I take with me) an understanding of the clients I work with now, clients I’ve worked with in the past (I wish I knew then what I know now), and a better understanding of myself."