Bridges Alliance taking applications

Bridges Alliance of Johnson County, a program aimed at alleviating poverty throughout the community, is accepting applications for its first round of participants.

The organization will start training classes for Circle Leaders, people who are looking to move out of poverty, on Feb. 7. Classes will help identify your current live and determine what you want your future to look with.

Circle Leaders will set goals to help break the cycle of poverty, create budgets for themselves and make future plans for education and employment. Bridges Alliance organizers will provide support and guidance to help them meet those goals.

The program is a 14 week course that meets once a week from 6 to 8 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, 1300 E. Adams Dr., Franklin. The classes include dinner, and child care is available.

Participants are expected to attend every class, be on time and complete all homework assignments. They have to follow all the rules that the group agrees on, respect other participants and volunteers, and are not allowed to attend under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

To qualify for the class, people are asked to attend an information session from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 17 at Grace United Methodist Church. Dinner is included.

They will need to complete an application and have secure housing. All participants are required to sit down for an interview with a counselor, and those sessions will be conducted from 6 to 8 p.m. on both Jan. 24 and Jan. 31.

To learn more about the program or to print out an application, go to bridgesalliancejc.org. Applications can be returned by email at [email protected] or by mailing it to Bridges Alliance, PO Box 147, Whiteland, IN 46184.