If America is the wealthiest country in the world, why are so many people living in poverty and missing out on the promise of the American Dream? Poverty is America’s number-one social problem, and while we spend $1.75 trillion every year trying to solve it, much of that effort falls short. But it doesn’t have to. Together We Climb challenges the way we understand poverty-not as a personal failure, but as a complex climb shaped by broken systems, disconnected supports, and unclear pathways. Dr. Steven C. Taylor and Jason Janz draw on decades of leadership in education, workforce development, and community transformation to reveal what’s keeping people stuck and what actually works. At the heart of the book are two field-tested frameworks. The Mountain Model maps the climb from poverty to prosperity. The Navigation Approach provides the solution: a relational strategy built on proximity, possibility, and pathways toward true human flourishing. Together We Climb puts the map in your hands to reignite the American Dream-for everyone.
