LYNCHBURG, Va. – Breaking the cycle of poverty. Lynchburg city officials have teamed up with local organizations to put on workshops to help people out of poverty.
About 24 percent of the city's population lives in poverty.
Right now, in an eight-week course, facilitators are helping people become self-sufficient. Some students have taken two classes about getting ahead and healthy living. They are also taught to be problem-solvers in their own lives, and examine their own situations and resources.
"This gives them a chance to see that it might not all be their fault but that they have the power to change their lives, and it's that self-empowerment that's important," Shannon Brennan, workforce navigator, said.
"And I feel like both of these classes together, combined, help me to be a better person for me," Tina Mitchell, a workshop student, said.
The classes are free and will go until the end of July.