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HUD renews local homeless assistance program grants
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $2.5 billion to renew support to thousands of homeless assistance programs nationwide, including more than $13 million in the Rochester area. HUD’s Continuum of Care grants will provide critically needed support to nearly 6,600 programs on the front lines of serving individuals and families […]
Many elderly people, especially women, affected by poverty in Rochester
During the COVID lockdown I delivered a box of food to Esther, 91, in Irondequoit. I knew from the intake paper her income was about $1,100 a month. Small and slightly bent, she couldn’t handle the heavy box of food, so ignoring guidance to stay outside, I brought it into a small, dark entryway. Esther […]
Catholic Family Center receives PPE donation from Bank of America
Catholic Family Center has received a second, significant donation of personal protective equipment from community partner Bank of America. The most recent donation includes 60,000 masks, 50 cases of hand sanitizer and 24,000 pairs of protective gloves. The PPE will be used immediately to serve some of Rochester’s most poor and vulnerable. The donation comes […]
City’s new ‘ERA’ confronts historic racism, plots path to betterment
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren says she intends to not just confront, but also reverse, the effects historic racism and institutional inequality have had on the city as she plots a course for post-pandemic economic recovery. Her Equity & Recovery Agenda (ERA) acknowledges that “Rochester’s most pressing challenges — including poverty, crime and educational dis[...]
Virtual conference to focus on racism and COVID-19
Action for a Better Community will partner with a number of local organizations next week on the first day of a series that will address Rochester’s two pandemics: COVID-19 and racism. “Racism is a Public Health Crisis — Attacking the 2 Pandemics” will be presented virtually Jan. 14, 21 and 28. The conference will feature […]
COVID-19 dominates priorities of local state legislators
The New York state legislature will have a new look when the session begins in January, including several first-time political leaders representing the Rochester region. Based on election results in November, Democrats in the state Senate will have a super majority, meaning that they won enough seats to secure veto-proof control of the state legislature. […]
Urban League takes REJI under its wing
The Urban League of Rochester has been named the new steward and agency administrator for the Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI). The program will be combined with the Urban League’s antiracist educational initiatives under the Interrupt Racism name as a primary focus of its newly-created Equity and Advocacy Division. “The Urban League is an […]
Rochester poverty rate decreases, still among top three nationwide
Poverty in the city of Rochester has fallen in the most recent five-year period, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. From 2015 to 2019, the overall poverty rate fell to 31.3 percent from 32.6 percent in the five-year period that ended in 2018. Additionally, Rochester’s child poverty rate, habitually the worst […]
RMAPI installs interim leader as executive director
The Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative has selected Aqua Porter as its next executive director. Porter had served as interim director since May. “Aqua is exactly what this coalition needs right now. We already have a group of community leaders who are working together and beginning to see real change. Her experience leading complex teams, her change […]
Why you want affordable housing in your community
Quick, what do you think of when you hear the term “affordable housing”? Probably not award-winning design. Neighborhood renewal. Critically short supply. Or, increased property values. Saving your taxpayer dollars. Transforming landmark buildings — and lives that are at risk. Chances are, you have a few misconceptions about affordable housing. We all do. Because we […]
ROC the Future releases State of Our Children Report Card
Students in the Rochester City School District continue to trail their counterparts statewide in third-grade English language arts proficiency, high school graduation rates and kindergarten readiness, an annual report from ROC the Future shows. ROC the Future, a nonprofit alliance of more than 60 local organizations dedicated to improving outcomes for Rochester children, on Tuesday […]
Legislation introduced to reduce childhood poverty
Legislation has been introduced by Assemblyman Harry Bronson, D-Rochester, and Rep. Jessica Ramos, D-Queens, to reduce child poverty statewide by 50 percent over the next decade. The “Childhood Poverty Reduction Act,” if passed, would be the most significant commitment of any state nationwide codifying into law a childhood poverty reduction goal. Children’s advocacy groups that […]
