As the old adage goes, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” According to groundbreaking research from Rutgers University–Camden, South Jersey families receiving assistance from the Whole Families Approach, a program that pools social-service providers together in an effort to offer improved support, have experienced better outcomes than non-participants. Low-income families participating in the initiative have had more stable social support and increased levels of financial stability during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study from the university’s Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs. The study, supported with a nine-year grant from the Pascale Sykes Foundation, shows how families using the Whole Families Approach, which pools social-service organizations in Atlantic, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties, have enjoyed greater success in defining and achieving attainable goals. To read the full story.