Northeast, northwest settlement houses to unite

Charles Settlement House and the Community Place of Greater Rochester will become permanently affiliated on Oct. 1, following three years of close collaboration, the two nonprofits said Thursday.

This affiliation will enable both agencies to maintain their identities while strengthening and growing the programs and services they provide in the neighborhoods of northwest and northeast Rochester.

Since 2018, Charles Settlement House and the Community Place have operated with a shared CEO, and the two organizations have shared some administrative services, including finance and human resources.

While not a merger, the affiliation makes the arrangements, which have been renewed annually by both agencies’ boards of directors, permanent. It allows Charles Settlement House and the Community Place to continue operating as separate organizations but under the governance of a joint board of directors that includes members of each agency’s original boards. All administrative functions will be shared, and there will be no cutbacks or reductions in staffing.

“Our three years of collaboration made it clear that we could improve our services and become stronger organizations by making this affiliation permanent,” said Scott Benjamin, who has served as CEO for Charles Settlement House since 2006 and for both agencies since 2018. “We share many of the same programs for youth, families and seniors and will be able to leverage expertise across both agencies. At the same time, the savings of a combined administration and governance will be reinvested into our programs and employees — providing opportunities to grow and serve more people.”

The combined board of directors will be led initially by co-chairs John Olsan, currently board chair at the Community Place, and Lydia Fernandez, currently board chair at Charles Settlement House.

“I am very excited and proud about our new affiliation with Charles Settlement House,” Olsan said. “After sharing an executive and working collaboratively for the past three years, the affiliation is the next logical step. Both organizations will be stronger by having combined governance. We will be able to address the service needs in our respective areas with more resources. Additionally, our organizations will maintain their identities, which reflect years of service to the Rochester community.”

The Community Place, established in 2001 from the merger of Lewis Street Center, Genesee Settlement House and Eastside Community Center, serves residents in northeast Rochester. The agency serves more than 10,000 individuals through its programs and services.

Charles Settlement House, established in 1917, serves Rochester’s northwest neighborhoods, including JOSANA, Edgerton, Dutchtown, Brown Square, Lyell-Otis, Maplewood and Charlotte. More than 3,000 individuals use its programs and services.

“We are excited to extend our collaboration with the Community Place,” Fernandez said. “Working together has allowed us both to remain strong, trusted resources in our neighborhoods, and this affiliation will provide the agility necessary for our organizations to continue meeting the changing needs of our community. The combined experience of these organizations represents nearly 400 years of service to Rochester.”

The United Way of Greater Rochester and the Fingers Lakes supported the work to finalize the affiliation through a Synergy grant from its Community Impact Fund. Technical assistance was provided by the New York Council of Nonprofits.

[email protected] / 585-653-4021
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Harris employees assemble hygiene kits for donation

Harris Corp. employees assembled 5,000 hygiene kits to assist those in need in the Rochester region this week. (Photo provided)
Harris Corp. employees assembled 5,000 hygiene kits to assist those in need in the Rochester region this week. (Photo provided)

More than 150 Harris Corp. staffers took time Thursday to assemble 5,000 hygiene kits to assist those in need in Rochester.

The company donated the hygiene kits—which contain items such as hand sanitizer, mini first aid kits, deodorant, soap, laundry detergent and a toothbrush—to Baden Street Settlement, Charles Settlement House, Community Place and the Veterans Outreach Center.

The event is part of Harris’ company-wide service initiative called Harris Employees Actively Responding Together, or HEART. Thursday’s hygiene kit initiative kicked off the company’s 2018 United Way of Greater Rochester Inc. campaign, as United Way celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

“We congratulate the United Way on 100 years of service to our Rochester community,” said Adam Histed, vice president, human resources of Harris Communications Systems. “We are proud to support such a wonderful organization, which does so much for the community where we live and work.

Harris has two business segments in Rochester, including Communications Systems and Space and Intelligence Systems, and employs more than 3,600 people here.

[email protected] / 585-653-4021
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Two agencies to share CEO

Scott Benjamin
Scott Benjamin

In a unique arrangement,  The Community Place of Greater Rochester Inc. and Charles Settlement House will operate under a shared leader beginning April 1.

Scott Benjamin, who currently serves as CEO at Charles Settlement House, will take the helm of both organizations as they begin their fiscal years. Both agencies will maintain separate programs and boards of directors, but under the agreement they will share some administrative services such as finance and human resources.

The arrangement will allow the two organizations to discuss the possibility of further collaboration, officials said.

“We have two strong organizations and this will make them stronger,” Benjamin said. “Sharing some administrative services builds the capacity of both. The increased collaboration will allow us to seek out new opportunities for growth in both settlement houses.”

charles settlement house-100-yrs-portrait-341The decision to pursue shared leadership came after The Community Place was unable to find an appropriate candidate for CEO. The organization’s board and Chief Operating Officer Garfield Grant approached Benjamin, who has led Charles Settlement House since 2006.

“The Community Place of Greater Rochester and Charles Settlement House share a common philosophy and approach to building community, by working together,” Grant said in a news release. “Scott Benjamin has been a part of the settlement house movement for 12 years, and he has a good understanding of its mission and its positive impact on the Rochester community.”

Settlement houses began in the late 1800s to support immigrant populations and build community. Rochester’s settlement houses bolster their surrounding neighborhoods through a variety of services that encourage individual and family sustainability,  including after-school and youth development programs, senior centers and workforce development, among other things.

“We are very pleased that Scott Benjamin will use his settlement house knowledge and background to run both organizations for the betterment of the Rochester community,” said Scott Hendler, chairman of the Community Place board of directors. “Over the past 12 years he has formed and built many relationships in the community and built successful programs that will help Charles Settlement House and Community Place of Greater Rochester move forward, grow and prosper for years to come.”

the community place-logo-2The Community Place was established in 2001 from the merger of Lewis Street Center, Genesee Settlement House and Eastside Community Center. The agency serves residents in northeast Rochester. More than 10,000 individuals use its programs and services.

Charles Settlement House was founded in 1917 and serves Rochester’s northwest neighborhoods. More than 3,000 individuals use its programs and services.

“We look forward to working more closely with Community Place and to the opportunities this relationship will bring,” said Lydia Fernandez, board chair of Charles Settlement House. “With Scott Benjamin’s knowledge and experience, this arrangement will strengthen Charles Settlement House, Community Place and our neighborhoods.”

[email protected] / 585-653-4021
Follow Velvet Spicer on Twitter: @Velvet_Spicer