Circle Supports — Our story
We started out as workers in a large human services org. One day, they announced they could no longer meet client need with their business model and halved the number of employed staff overnight.
For us, that landed simply: a business model should fit the person — not the other way around.
So we built Circle Supports: a small team offering calm, practical support that stays focused on what matters most to each individual.
We bring professional skill, and lived experience. The kind that helps us stay steady when things are messy, confusing, or overwhelming. We’ve made mistakes along the way, and we’re grateful for the lessons have learned. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to care that is:
- Human-first
- Clear and practical
- Consistent when things are tough
- Connected to community and professional supports
- Focused on hope and next steps
What that Looks Like in Real Life
You can see it in the way people like Janey starting with the basics: getting through the day, restoring routines, and building self-care one small step at a time. With consistent support, she strengthened her links with community and professionals, stayed engaged through setbacks, and eventually moved from volunteering into paid work helping others. With mentoring, she successfully launched her own small business. We are very proud of her achievements.
Each story is different, but the pattern is the same: the right help at the right time—and support that stays steady long enough for change to take hold.
Our commitments
Each person’s story is unique.
Each person deserves the right to tell and retell their story.
We help people tell it with hope.
Each person can learn from their experiences.
Each person can take responsibility for what’s next.
We help people connect the dots.
Each person who has experienced mental health challenges has much to offer those in need of better mental health.
Each person deserves every chance they can get and can make the most of their next chance.
We take a chance on their success.
Bella’s Story
Bella had always had a creative streak, but through the debilitating effects of mental illness, she was forced to give up her passion for music, and spent years at home struggling to find a reason to get up every morning. Though not in crisis when she joined Circle, she engaged with our coaching team and found that consistent weekly support — alongside encouragement and practical system navigation when needed — helped her pursue her love of music once again.
As she progressed through our mentoring program, she decided to follow an interest in how to promote her music and express her inner creative flair in her local community. With steady support, linkages, and a growing sense of hope in what was possible, Ella began taking steps toward a more connected and creative life again.
Jim’s Story
Jim joined our program when he found himself homeless and in a state of crisis. He didn’t know how to find a safe space in the community to call home. The problems of the past came back to haunt him every time he went to try make a change. In that early period, what mattered most was consistency — multiple check-ins each week, someone to stay steady alongside him, and support to navigate services and link with the right professional and community supports.
As he progressed from crisis into a more stable pattern of coaching and mentoring, he was able to revisit old hobbies, reconnect with friends and family, and move into a safe environment where he could for the first time in decades, consider applying to work. Step by step, with the right support at the right time, Jim began building a life that felt safer, more connected, and more hopeful.