Together for Hope

Together for Hope is transforming rural America by focusing on four priorities of hope: education, health & nutrition, housing & environment, and social enterprise. By leveraging assets rather than focusing on needs, we generate hope in counties of persistent rural poverty in the US. We are building a coalition to intervene, innovate, and advocate for a life free of poverty. Our service area are the 339 counties of persistent rural poverty in the United States. Persistent rural poverty is defined by 20% or more of a rural counties has lived below the Federal Poverty Line for the past 30 consecutive years or more. These counties represent the most sustained poverty in the United States. Through Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), we work with communities to map their assets in our four priorities of Hope: Education, Health & Nutrition, Housing & Environment, and Social Enterprise. These four priorities represent a holistic approach to alleviating poverty. These 339 counties of persistent rural poverty cluster into what we call ethno-geographies: Delta, Black Belt, Appalachia, Rio Grande Valley, and Native Lands. In these clustered geographies, the racial and ethnic make up is primarily White in Appalachia, African American in the Delta and Black Belt, Latino/a in the Rio Grande Valley, and Native American in Native Lands. Persistent rural poverty in the United States permeates the ethnic, racial, and geographical areas throughout the country. There are incredible people in these ethno-geographies that are doing important work that's transforming people's lives. We are identifying them and recruiting them to join our coalition. By providing a professional network of rural nonprofit leaders, we are building local capacity, strengthening local communities, and building a better future for rural America.