Bridges Community of Practice

COP Graphic

Community of Practice 2022
A Quarterly Conversation About Reducing Poverty Using a Comprehensive Community-Wide Approach   

In 2022 our Community of Practice will focus on the work being done within specific sectors in our community.  We will learn about how individual organizations are working to reduce poverty through the way services are delivered and how they are working with others in their respective sector and others to remove barriers. 

Dates and Topics Include:
Thursday, February 17 - Housing 

Thursday, May 19 - Workforce 
Panelists include: Courtney Geiger, Workforce Connection; Grant Schubert, Goodwill; Alex Keedi, Rockford Housing Authority/Jobs Plus
Link to the May Meeting Recording: https://youtu.be/UFH4sxD1Dzo

Tuesday, August 23 - Community Resource Inventory Event
In lieu of our next regularly scheduled meeting of the Bridges Out of Poverty Community of Practice, One Body Collaboratives has partnered with the City of Rockford Health & Human Services and the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois to host aCommunity Resource Inventoryevent.  

 Throughout the pandemic the programs and resources offered by our local agencies and nonprofits have changed.  Programs and resources have been added, removed and augmented.  The purpose of the event is to gather information about the programs and services currently offered in our community and to help identify gaps in community care.  
This will be an activity and discussion based event for all agencies and nonprofits who provide resources, programs and services in our community. We encourage you to bring staff that represent each of the programs and resources that your organization offers. The information gathered will be recorded and shared with our entire community. The event will be held onTuesday, August 23rd from 9-11am at Midway Villageand is sponsored by Wipfli.  


About the Community of Practice:

Poverty is a complex problem that demands a comprehensive approach. And therein lies the challenge. Poverty is not resolved with a single program or even set of programs, because there so many variables. Bridges Out of Poverty is not a program. It is a set of constructs that can be applied in many settings and in many ways. 

Communities that use the Bridges constructs recognize that to address poverty effectively we must engage the whole community.  All sectors and economic classes need to be at the table and speaking the same language and the Community of Practice supports this ongoing work.

Our Community of Practice brings people from all sectors and economic classes together to improve job retention rates, build resources, improve outcomes, and support those who are
moving out of poverty. The Bridges model operates on the law of attraction: If you like this approach, then take ownership of the ideas and apply them in your work.  Your innovations can impact the lives of people in poverty, improve the outcomes of your organization, and help build our broad community initiative.

For a print friendly copy of this informaton, click here.  

To view the Community of Practice Summary, click here. 

Find out if your organization is a Bridges Organization by clicking here.