RMAPI 5-Year Report

RMAPI is the entire community's effort to reduce poverty and increase self sufficiency, and if the community is fully engaged, failure is impossible. Find out how you can help.

The City of Rochester/RTS Vanpool program connects low-income residents to jobs beyond the public transportation system through the use of van pools. The program is set to expand to 30 vans by November 2020, serving 450 riders.

A total of 80 new jobs will be created at Hickey Freeman thanks to the work of a number of RMAPI stakeholders. The company, located in a high-poverty area of Rochester, received $4 million through a Finger Lakes Forward Upstate Revitalization Initiative convertible loan and also had the support of ESL, the City of Rochester and Rochester Economic Development Corp.

The Young Adult Manufacturing Training Employment Program (YAMTEP) helps individuals with low incomes prepare for careers in manufacturing through a 90-day training program. So far, 258 graduates have learned manufacturing skills and 200 found sustainable employment through YAMTEP.

The City of Rochester’s Kiva loan program provides zero percent interest crowdfunded loans for entrepreneurs looking to start or grow a business. The majority of the $475,000 awarded has gone to those not considered creditworthy at traditional financial institutions.

200

When IBM published a report on poverty in Rochester in 2015, they found that without significant changes to the systems addressing poverty, Rochester’s poverty rate would only continue to rise. Since then not only has the rate of poverty growth stopped, but it has started to reverse, with 3,173 fewer people in poverty reported for data released in December 2019.

$475,000

3,173

RMAPI helped to secure $4.75 million in state funding to support early childhood initiatives. Through this program, an additional 325 students have already been able to attend the summerLEAP program.

325

The 9,550 people in the City of Rochester receiving Section 8 public housing vouchers now have greater choice in where to live after Rochester City Council banned landlord discrimination based on source of income, ending the practice of landlords refusing Section 8 public housing vouchers. This has now been codified into state law.

9,550

The 130 participants in the adult mentoring program Bridges to Success, the first implementation strategy from RMAPI, raised their monthly income by 109.5 percent on average.

109.5%

More than 200 individuals from two dozen local organizations have been trained through the St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center's Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, which works with local agencies to create a higher awareness of structural racism and inspires them to combat it within their own organizations.

More than 2,600 people across our community voted in the Participatory Budgeting Rochester project, which allowed local residents to decide how to spend $200,000 in funding to address poverty.

2,600

Decrease in child poverty rate from the start of RMAPI through the 2010 U.S. Census esitimate.

450

Addressing poverty is a marathon, not a sprint. Systemic changes that improve workforce development and access to basic needs will create long-term improvements for our community. Along the way, RMAPI's partners are pursuing programs, strategies, and organizational changes that are creating an immediate impact on the lives of our neighbors.

Together, we studied the root causes of poverty in Rochester and took action to address them. After issuing a progress report, RMAPI’s partners took on our community’s initial recommendations, helping move people out of poverty while we worked together toward long-term solutions. This has been one small part of RMAPI’s larger work. Service providers have formed new partnerships to better understand the experience people go through when looking for work, navigating human services, and finding safe and affordable housing. Employers have pledged to make changes to hiring and retention practices that help people on the path to self-sufficiency. The current COVID-19 crisis will be unlike anything we have ever faced, but we are confident in our ability to rise to the challenge, just as we did five years ago. When RMAPI first brought community members together in 2015, we made a commitment to do everything needed to reduce poverty, no matter how difficult the work, no matter how long the hours or how deep the changes we would need to make. Today we are recommitting to that goal, confident that by working together we can rise to any challenge.

Faced with such a daunting challenge, Rochester has done what we always do best – rally together. Through the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative, we came together in unprecedented ways to identify the root causes of poverty. We made changes within our own organizations and across sectors, creating a system where all members of the community have a place at the table. We pledged to make all our decisions against a backdrop of our guiding principles to address structural racism, address trauma, and build and support our community.

Since New York State first put stay-at-home measures in place, RMAPI began gathering feedback on the most pressing needs of our community members. We reached out to thousands of community members, asking about their concerns and what services they need the most. This data is compiled and shared with local leaders on a daily basis, raising the community’s voice during this public health crisis and ensuring that local decisions about how to respond are informed by the input of our community, especially people affected poverty. RMAPI has also partnered with members of the community to help spread key messages about the COVID-19 outbreak through a number of media including online discussions. Thanks to the work of RMAPI over the last five years, we are more prepared than ever to face these challenges. Partners have learned to work in a collective way to come up with new and innovative solutions to address poverty. RMAPI’s coalition members have made process changes that allow their organizations to be more responsive to the needs of the community and aligned to our common goals. And the entire initiative has begun making systemic changes to address the factors that have exacerbated poverty in our community.

Rochester Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG)RMAPI’s first progress report pushed for local employers to address job essentials for the working poor. The HPOG program, funded by an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will work with 1,500 local residents to achieve self-sufficiency and find high-paying jobs in the healthcare field. Administered by Action for a Better Community, the program provides education and training to TANF recipients and other low-income individuals for occupations in the healthcare field.

RochesterWorks! and Monroe County/Rochester Workforce Development BoardRochesterWorks! has incorporated recommendations from the RMAPI’s first progress report to help people living in poverty obtain and maintain steady employment and achieve self-sufficiency. The program works with the Finger Lakes and GLOW Workforce Development Boards to develop career pathways for new and transitioning workers. RochesterWorks! has also worked with the Monroe County/Rochester Workforce Development Board and committees to revise training and supportive service policies to dedicate a greater percentage of funding to the needs of low-income individuals.

City of Rochester/RTS Vanpool ProjectRMAPI’s first progress report created a recommendation to provide better access to the area's public transportation, and the City of Rochester/RTS Vanpool project addresses that need. This project connects Rochester residents to jobs that may be out of reach of public transportation through the creation of vanpools. The project is expanding with $300,000 grant funding received from the New York State Department of Transportation.

Kiva RochesterKiva Rochester provides zero percent interest crowdfunded loans to help entrepreneurs start or grow a business. Qualifying businesses are eligible to receive matching funds from the Rochester Economic Development Corporation. Awarding more than $475,000 in loans to local entrepreneurs, 75 percent of borrowers would likely not be considered creditworthy at traditional financial institutions due to low credit scores, lacking collateral assets, and low income. To date, 41 percent of the loans have gone to women-owned businesses and 78 percent have gone to African-American or Hispanic business owners.

Bridges to Success and Family Independence InitiativeThe first implementation strategy from RMAPI addresses the need for mentoring services for individuals and families seeking to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Bridges to Success couples individuals to a professional mentor while Family Independence Initiative connects families to a group of peers working together in creating change. Both programs help participants identify socio-economic needs and develop a specialized plan to achieve self-sufficiency goals. The programs are administered by Catholic Family Center, Action for a Better Community, and Community Place of Greater Rochester. Key results include:80.6 percent of participants in the Bridges to Success program advanced from “crisis” or “at risk” to “stable” in at least one major area (e.g., housing, health, education, employment)The average household income for Bridges to Success participants increased by 109.5 percent.The average number of Family Independence Initiative participants employed increased by 19 percent.

Since the release of RMAPI’s first progress report in 2015, coalition members have undertaken a number of efforts to respond to initial recommendations and address the immediate needs of our community.

Young Adult Manufacturing Training Employment Program (YAMTEP)RYAMTEP is a 90-day manufacturing job training program for individuals with low incomes. Supported by the City of Rochester, Monroe County, and RochesterWorks!, YAMTEP has a network of over 30 companies. To date, more than 200 participants have learned valuable manufacturing skills and ultimately found sustainable employment through YAMTEP.

Strengthening Working Families InitiativeRochester Rehabilitation Center has partnered with local employers and community organizations to create access to educational and training institutions for parents with dependent children at home. The program aligns with a recommendation from RMAPI’s first progress report to provide training and support that matches the working poor with willing employers seeking to fill job openings.

OWN RochesterLed by the City of Rochester, this program aims to create a network of community-based, employee-owned businesses that provide employment for individuals facing the most significant barriers. In 2017, OWN Rochester launched its first business, a green energy construction subcontractor called ENEROC. In spring 2018, OWN Rochester launched a floor care services business. OWN Rochester follows a recommendation from RMAPI’s first progress report to support local businesses and increase available jobs.

Adoption of RMAPI Guiding PrinciplesAcross our community, dozens of organizations have adopted RMAPI’s Guiding Principles to address trauma, address structural racism, and build and support our community. These have become the basis for community decision-making and guided the work of RMAPI.

Participatory Budgeting RochesterRMAPI implemented a Participatory Budgeting process that gave members of the community the power to decide how to spend $200,000 in funding for projects addressing poverty. The process was entirely community run—from the board of community members who set the rules for voting and proposals to the individuals and groups who submitted ideas to the more than 2,600 people who voted on which projects should be funded. Participatory Budgeting fit into RMAPI’s larger goals to increase civic engagement and encourage political participation, especially in traditionally marginalized groups. Hundreds of community members submitted project ideas, everything from expanding community gardens to building “tiny homes” for very low-income individuals to offering late-night child care services to parents who work the late and overnight shifts.

United Way of Greater RochesterUnited Way of Greater Rochester served as the first convener of the community’s effort to address poverty, bringing together stakeholders from across sectors in 2015 and 2016 to study the root causes of poverty and develop the community’s priorities. The United Way continued to play a key role for RMAPI in the years that followed, serving as the fiscal agent and hosting the RMAPI Backbone Staff. The United Way has also been an early leader in adopting and promoting the Guiding Principles and continues to take a lead role on community-wide efforts like the Systems Integration Project.

RMAPI’s community collaborative model calls for partners to make changes to their own organization to align with our common poverty-reduction agenda. The RMAPI backbone staff has also led efforts to raise the community’s voice and bring all people—especially those affected by poverty—to the decision-making tables, creating fundamental change to the process by which we address poverty.

Racial Equity and Justice InitiativeRMAPI has worked with St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center to expand implementation of its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, which works with local agencies and businesses to create a higher awareness of structural racism and inspire them to combat it within their own organizations. This program has trained 200 individuals from more than two dozen organizations, and uses a Racial Equity Assessment Survey to measure institutional change within these organizations.

Poverty Impact Statement The Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council worked with RMAPI to incorporate the Guiding Principles (addressing structural racism, addressing trauma, and building and supporting our community) into the funding application process for those seeking state funding. The council created a Poverty Impact Statement for funding applicants to define how their project aligns with poverty reduction goals. The council oversees the distribution of a $500 million Upstate Revitalization Initiative grant awarded in 2015, and has identified poverty reduction as one of its chief goals. Other ESPRI cities are now looking to adopt this model for incorporating community priorities for addressing poverty into funding streams.

Raise the Age RMAPI created a model of addressing systemic racism and combatting the root causes of poverty by raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18 and ensuring that young people who commit non-violent crimes receive intervention and evidence-based treatment. This became a statewide commitment when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation making Raise the Age codified into New York State law.

Funding Alignment Council Local funders including ESL Community Foundation, United Way of Greater Rochester, the Farash Foundation, and Rochester Area Charitable Foundation have led efforts to align local funders around RMAPI’s common poverty-reduction goals.

Pledge for Rochester The RMAPI Employment Working Group has developed pledges for employers and job training agencies to promote and uphold the RMAPI Guiding Principles to address structural racism, address trauma and build and support our community. These organizations pledge to adopting a set of best practices that reduce barriers to employment and enable sustainable employment for people affected by poverty.

Systemic changes that improve workforce development and access to basic needs will create long-term improvements for our community. These will take time, but our community has already begun to make meaningful systemic changes.

Monroe County Systems Integration Project The Monroe County Systems Integration Project aims to establish connections between 300 local health, education and human services organizations by building technology and establishing relationships across sectors. This project is a priority identified by the Regional Economic Development Council, the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI), and others as a critical need for our community, as well as a key need and priority identified by people living in poverty. RMAPI Policy Agenda RMAPI’s Policy Working Group develops a list of annual policy priorities aimed at addressing the root causes of poverty. These priorities are determined through months of meeting with local experts, community and government leaders, and representatives from non-profit agencies to determine which actions would be the most effective and the most needed to address poverty. RMAPI’s coalition members then organize advocacy efforts at local and statewide levels.

1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East A Better Rochester ABVI Goodwill ACT Rochester Action for a Better Community, Inc. Ark of Jesus Ministries Base One Technologies Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester Bridges to Success CAC CCSI CEO Works CGR CareerStart Catholic Family Center Causewave Community Partners Center for Collaborative Health at CCSI Center for Employment Opportunities Center for Governmental Research Center for Youth Charles Settlement House Children's Institute City Roots Community Land Trust City of Rochester City of Rochester Mayor's Office City of Rochester Office of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives City of Rochester Office of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives, Mayor's Office City of Rochester Office of Neighborhood and Business Development City of Rochester: Neighborhood & Business Development College at Brockport Metro Center Common Ground Health Community Advisory Council Community Member Compeer Rochester Connected Communities, Inc. Conscious Capitalism Rochester Chapter Consumer Credit Counseling Services Cooperative Extension Monroe County Council of Agency Executives Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families Department of Labor ESL Federal Credit Union ESL Foundation Education Success Network Empire Justice Center Empire State Development Enterprise Holdings Excellus FLPPS Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes, Inc. Farash Foundation Finger Lakes Performing Provider System Flower City AmeriCorps Foodlink Genesee Transportation Council Great Tie Consulting Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Greater Rochester Health Foundation Greater Rochester Housing Partnership Habitat for Humanity Harris Corporation Heritage Christian Services Hester Street Collective Home Leasing Huther Doyle Ibero-American Action League Institute for Poverty Studies and Economic Development (IPSED) Jordan Health Just Serve KV Strategies Key Bank Law NY LiDestri Lifespan Maximus Mayor's Office of Community Wealth Building McGowan Foundation Metro Council for Teen Potential Monroe Community College Monroe County Monroe County Office of the Public Defender NY State Department of Labor, Division of Employment and Workforce Solutions NYS 7th Judicial District NYS Assembly Nazareth College of Rochester New York State Senate North American Breweries OWN Rochester Office of Rep. Joseph D. Morelle | NY-25 PHU concepts PMI PathStone Corporation RCSD ROC the Future Reconnect Rochester Regional Transit Service Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation Rochester Area Community Foundation Rochester City School District Rochester Educational Opportunity Center Rochester Housing Authority Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Public Library Rochester Regional Health System Rochester Regional Transit Service Rochester Rehabilitation Rochester/Monroe county Homeless Continuum of Care RochesterWorks! SUNY Rochester Educational Opportunity Center School of the Holy Childhood St. John Fisher St. Joseph's Neighborhood Center State of New York Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) Systems Integration Project Tenants’ Union The Beat 105.5 FM The Children's Agenda Truform Manufacturing U of R EPO at East Upper and Lower US Congress United Christian Leadership Ministry United Way of Greater Rochester University of Rochester University of Rochester/EAST Partnership Urban League of Rochester Veterans Outreach Center Veterans Service Agency, Monroe County Volunteer Legal Services ProjectWegmans Food MarketsWhy Wait: International Higher Education SolutionYAMTEPYWCA

RMAPI’s success depends on the hard work and support of thousands of individuals and organizations across our community who share common goal of reducing poverty through systemic change. Thanks to the financial support of our funders, the time and energy of coalition members designing and implementing these changes, and the community members who support this work, RMAPI has become a national leader in poverty reduction. The community collaborative model we have created over the past five years has been replicated across the state through the Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative and held up as a national example for how to bring innovation to poverty reduction. This important work is far from over, but we thank you for your help in turning the curve and look forward to working with you in the years to come.

February, 2019

August, 2016

Participatory Budgeting Rochester Led by RMAPI backbone staff, more than 2,600 Monroe County residents voted to decide how to spend $200,000 on capital projects to fight poverty and improve their neighborhoods.

RMAPI Employer Pledge: RMAPI pushes local employers to be an employer who enables sustainable employment for individuals seeking to move from poverty to self-sufficiency.

As RMAPI enters Phase II, the initiative is shifting focus away from piloting and funding programs and redirecting energy to influencing larger-scale systems and policy change. RMAPI plans to influence policy, practice, and behavior throughout local systems and institutions.

Monroe County Systems Integration Project: A project initiated to establish connections between 300 local health, education and human services organizations by building technology and establishing relationships across sectors.

January, 2018

RMAPI Policy Agenda: Released each year, the RMAPI Policy Agenda identifies policies and funding recommendations that will bring long-term, meaningful poverty reduction

July, 2017

COVID-19 Community Response

U.S. Census Data Shows Poverty Decline Data released in December by the U.S. Census Bureau for the most recent five-year period indicates a decrease in overall poverty rates and child poverty rates throughout the city of Rochester

The Rochester Area Community Foundation and ACT Rochester released Poverty and the Concentration of Poverty in the Nine-County Greater Rochester Area, showing that Rochester had some of the highest poverty rates and concentrations of poverty in the nation. This report spurred local leaders to start work collectively to address these high poverty rates.

December, 2019

RMAPI undertakes efforts to gather community feedback to determine what individuals need most amid the COVID-19 outbreak. This data is compiled and shared with local leaders on a daily basis to help guide the decision-making process that addresses the needs of Rochester’s impoverished communities

December, 2013

Renewed State Funding And RMAPI Second Phase RMAPI provides the state of New York a summary of activities in its initial phase and a summary of priorities in the second phase, which takes a stronger focus on system redesign.

August, 2017

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces the launch of an initiative to reduce poverty in Rochester through the collective work of stakeholders across the community. Work groups are formed to investigate underlying causes of poverty in Rochester. This would lead to the formation of the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative.

Wage Disparities in Monroe County by Race and Gender The Mayor’s Office of Innovation conducts an analysis of the local workforce in Monroe County. The report finds that minorities, women, and people with disabilities face disparities in pay and that minorities earn less than their white counterparts in nearly every industrial sector.

September, 2015

January, 2015

March, 2020

November, 2015

Selection of Target Neighborhoods RMAPI partners with the City of Rochester's Office of Innovation and Connected Communities to identify three areas to pilot its work. The areas have the highest density of poverty and the most children living in poverty, but have strong community assets like schools, recreation centers, churches, etc.

Published “Progress Report: A Roadmap for Change” Report compiled the findings of working groups formed to study key drivers of poverty, setting a roadmap and issuing 33 recommendations for addressing poverty.

2014: U.S. Census data shows poverty increase New U.S. Census Bureau data for the most recent five-year period through 2014 shows an increase in poverty, with a total of 68,222 people in the City of Rochester living below the federal poverty line, the highest number of the last decade.

Monroe County Systems Integration Project Governor Andrew Cuomo proposes $15 million to create a five-year system integration project in Rochester. The project aims to establish connections between 300 local health, education and human services organizations by building technology and establishing relationships across sectors. The Regional Economic Development Council and RMAPI defines the project as “high priority.”

Beginning January 2016: Adult Mentoring Programs

The first implementation strategy from RMAPI addresses the need for mentoring services for individuals and families seeking to achieve economic self-sufficiency. The pilot project period ends in 2019, showing the following key results:

RMAPI partners with the community collaboratives to create the first county-wide resident-driven leadership table to ensure community voice and representation at all levels of decision-making

Community Advisory Council created

80.6 percent of participants in the Bridges to Success program advanced from "crisis" or "at risk" to "stable" in at least one major area (e.g., housing, health, education, employment) The average household income for Bridges to Success participants increased by 109.5 percent. The average number of Family Independence Initiative participants employed increased by 19 percent.

December, 2018

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced $4.75 million in funding to support the expansion of early childhood anti-poverty initiatives aligned with RMAPI priority areas. Funding supports new summer learning programs, child care, and home visiting services for children and caregivers.

March, 2016

Early childhood Funding

IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Report RMAPI uses the report’s recommendations to guide the implementation efforts of a person-centered system of social support.

Beginning January, 2018 Creating Systemic Change

Guiding Principles Report Report released to the public in an effort to align and coordinate the broader community around shared values to address trauma, address structural racism, and build and support our community.

Employment of People with Disabilities:Identifying Barriers and Creating Opportunities The Mayor’s Office of Innovation releases a report showing that poverty is disproportionately affecting people with disabilities.

Through the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative, we came together in unprecedented ways to identify the root causes of poverty. We made changes within our own organizations and across sectors, creating a system where all members of the community have a place at the table. We pledged to make all our decisions against a backdrop of our guiding principles to address structural racism, address trauma, and build and support our community. Together, we studied the root causes of poverty in Rochester and took action to address them. After issuing a progress report, RMAPI’s partners took on our community’s initial recommendations, helping move people out of poverty while we worked together toward long-term solutions. This has been one small part of RMAPI’s larger work. Service providers have formed new partnerships to better understand the experience people go through when looking for work, navigating human services, and finding safe and affordable housing. Employers have pledged to make changes to hiring and retention practices that help people on the path to self-sufficiency. The current COVID-19 crisis will be unlike anything we have ever faced, but we are confident in our ability to rise to the challenge, just as we did five years ago. When RMAPI first brought community members together in 2015, we made a commitment to do everything needed to reduce poverty, no matter how difficult the work, no matter how long the hours or how deep the changes we would need to make. Today we are recommitting to that goal, confident that by working together we can rise to any challenge.

In 2013, our community received a wake-up call. A report from the Rochester Area Community Foundation and ACT Rochester showed that Rochester had some of the highest poverty rates and deepest concentrations of poverty in the nation. Faced with such a daunting challenge, Rochester has done what we always do best – rally together.

In 2013, our community received a wake-up call. A report from the Rochester Area Community Foundation and ACT Rochester showed that Rochester had some of the highest poverty rates and deepest concentrations of poverty in the nation. In 2013, our community received a wake-up call. A report from the Rochester Area Community Foundation and ACT Rochester showed that Rochester had some of the highest poverty rates and deepest concentrations of poverty in the nation. Faced with such a daunting challenge, Rochester has done what we always do best – rally together.

August, 2016

March 2020

July, 2017

The COVID-19 outbreak is one of the most significant trials our community has ever faced, and its effects are disproportionately felt by those living in poverty. The weeks and months ahead will bring new challenges. The need for basic services will continue to rise and the need for workforce development will adjust to a new employment landscape. Since New York State first put stay-at-home measures in place, RMAPI began gathering feedback on the most pressing needs of our community members. We reached out to thousands of community members, asking about their concerns and what services they need the most. This data is compiled and shared with local leaders on a daily basis, raising the community’s voice during this public health crisis and ensuring that local decisions about how to respond are informed by the input of our community, especially people affected poverty. RMAPI has also partnered with members of the community to help spread key messages about the COVID-19 outbreak through a number of media including online discussions.

Thanks to the work of RMAPI over the last five years, we are more prepared than ever to face these challenges. Partners have learned to work in a collective way to come up with new and innovative solutions to address poverty. RMAPI’s coalition members have made process changes that allow their organizations to be more responsive to the needs of the community and aligned to our common goals. And the entire initiative has begun making systemic changes to address the factors that have exacerbated poverty in our community.

Strengthening Working Families Initiative Rochester Rehabilitation Center has partnered with local employers and community organizations to create access to educational and training institutions for parents with dependent children at home. The program aligns with a recommendation from RMAPI’s first progress report to provide training and support that matches the working poor with willing employers seeking to fill job openings.

RochesterWorks! and Monroe County/Rochester Workforce Development Board RochesterWorks! has incorporated recommendations from the RMAPI’s first progress report to help people living in poverty obtain and maintain steady employment and achieve self-sufficiency. The program works with the Finger Lakes and GLOW Workforce Development Boards to develop career pathways for new and transitioning workers. RochesterWorks! has also worked with the Monroe County/Rochester Workforce Development Board and committees to revise training and supportive service policies to dedicate a greater percentage of funding to the needs of low-income individuals.

City of Rochester/RTS Vanpool Project RMAPI’s first progress report created a recommendation to provide better access to the area's public transportation, and the City of Rochester/RTS Vanpool project addresses that need. This project connects Rochester residents to jobs that may be out of reach of public transportation through the creation of vanpools. The project is expanding with $300,000 grant funding received from the New York State Department of Transportation.

Young Adult Manufacturing Training Employment Program (YAMTEP) RYAMTEP is a 90-day manufacturing job training program for individuals with low incomes. Supported by the City of Rochester, Monroe County, and RochesterWorks!, YAMTEP has a network of over 30 companies. To date, more than 200 participants have learned valuable manufacturing skills and ultimately found sustainable employment through YAMTEP.

Bridges to Success and Family Independence Initiative The first implementation strategy from RMAPI addresses the need for mentoring services for individuals and families seeking to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Bridges to Success couples individuals to a professional mentor while Family Independence Initiative connects families to a group of peers working together in creating change. Both programs help participants identify socio-economic needs and develop a specialized plan to achieve self-sufficiency goals. The programs are administered by Catholic Family Center, Action for a Better Community, and Community Place of Greater Rochester. Key results include:80.6 percent of participants in the Bridges to Success program advanced from “crisis” or “at risk” to “stable” in at least one major area (e.g., housing, health, education, employment)The average household income for Bridges to Success participants increased by 109.5 percent.The average number of Family Independence Initiative participants employed increased by 19 percent.

Rochester Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) RMAPI’s first progress report pushed for local employers to address job essentials for the working poor. The HPOG program, funded by an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will work with 1,500 local residents to achieve self-sufficiency and find high-paying jobs in the healthcare field. Administered by Action for a Better Community, the program provides education and training to TANF recipients and other low-income individuals for occupations in the healthcare field.

Kiva Rochester provides zero percent interest crowdfunded loans to help entrepreneurs start or grow a business. Qualifying businesses are eligible to receive matching funds from the Rochester Economic Development Corporation. Awarding more than $475,000 in loans to local entrepreneurs, 75 percent of borrowers would likely not be considered creditworthy at traditional financial institutions due to low credit scores, lacking collateral assets, and low income. To date, 41 percent of the loans have gone to women-owned businesses and 78 percent have gone to African-American or Hispanic business owners.

OWN Rochester Led by the City of Rochester, this program aims to create a network of community-based, employee-owned businesses that provide employment for individuals facing the most significant barriers. In 2017, OWN Rochester launched its first business, a green energy construction subcontractor called ENEROC. In spring 2018, OWN Rochester launched a floor care services business. OWN Rochester follows a recommendation from RMAPI’s first progress report to support local businesses and increase available jobs.

The United Way has also been an early leader in adopting and promoting the Guiding Principles and continues to take a lead role on community-wide efforts like the Systems Integration Project.

Participatory Budgeting fit into RMAPI’s larger goals to increase civic engagement and encourage political participation, especially in traditionally marginalized groups. Hundreds of community members submitted project ideas, everything from expanding community gardens to building “tiny homes” for very low-income individuals to offering late-night child care services to parents who work the late and overnight shifts.

Housing discrimination legislation In June 2017, the Rochester City Council passed an ordinance banning landlord discrimination based on source of income, as previously many landlords outside low-income neighborhoods had not accepted Section 8 public housing vouchers. A similar measure was subsequently adopted in the Town of Brighton. RMAPI is now advocating for this to be codified into state law and apply to landlords outside the Rochester city limits. Funding Alignment Council Local funders including ESL Charitable Foundation, United Way of Greater Rochester, the Farash Foundation, and Rochester Area Community Foundation have led efforts to align local funders around RMAPI’s common poverty-reduction goals.

RMAPI Policy Agenda RMAPI’s Policy Working Group develops a list of annual policy priorities aimed at addressing the root causes of poverty. These priorities are determined through months of meeting with local experts, community and government leaders, and representatives from non-profit agencies to determine which actions would be the most effective and the most needed to address poverty. RMAPI’s coalition members then organize advocacy efforts at local and statewide levels. Raise the Age RMAPI created a model of addressing systemic racism and combatting the root causes of poverty by raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18 and ensuring that young people who commit non-violent crimes receive intervention and evidence-based treatment. This became a statewide commitment when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation making Raise the Age codified into New York State law.

1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East A Better Rochester ABVI Goodwill ACT Rochester Action for a Better Community, Inc. Ark of Jesus Ministries Base One Technologies Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester Bridges to Success CAC CCSI CEO Works CGR CareerStart Catholic Family Center Causewave Community Partners Center for Collaborative Health at CCSI Center for Employment Opportunities Center for Governmental Research Center for Youth Charles Settlement House Children's Institute City Roots Community Land Trust City of Rochester City of Rochester Mayor's Office City of Rochester Office of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives City of Rochester Office of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives, Mayor's Office City of Rochester Office of Neighborhood and Business Development City of Rochester: Neighborhood & Business Development College at Brockport Metro Center Common Ground Health Community Advisory Council Community Member Compeer Rochester Connected Communities, Inc. Conscious Capitalism Rochester Chapter Consumer Credit Counseling Services Cooperative Extension Monroe County Council of Agency Executives Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families Department of Labor ESL Federal Credit Union ESL Foundation Education Success NetworkEmpire Justice Center Empire State Development Enterprise Holdings Excellus FLPPS Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes, Inc. Farash Foundation Finger Lakes Performing Provider System Flower City AmeriCorps Foodlink Genesee Transportation Council Great Tie Consulting Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Greater Rochester Health Foundation Greater Rochester Housing Partnership Habitat for Humanity Harris Corporation Heritage Christian Services Hester Street Collective Home Leasing Huther Doyle Ibero-American Action League Institute for Poverty Studies and Economic Development (IPSED) Jordan Health Just Serve KV Strategies Key Bank Law NY LiDestri Lifespan Maximus Mayor's Office of Community Wealth Building McGowan Foundation Metro Council for Teen Potential Monroe Community College Monroe County Monroe County Office of the Public Defender NY State Department of Labor, Division of Employment and Workforce Solutions NYS 7th Judicial District NYS Assembly Nazareth College of Rochester New York State Senate North American Breweries OWN Rochester Office of Rep. Joseph D. Morelle | NY-25 PHU concepts PMI PathStone Corporation RCSD ROC the Future Reconnect Rochester Regional Transit Service Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation Rochester Area Community Foundation Rochester City School District Rochester Educational Opportunity Center Rochester Housing Authority Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Public Library Rochester Regional Health System Rochester Regional Transit Service Rochester Rehabilitation Rochester/Monroe county Homeless Continuum of Care RochesterWorks! SUNY Rochester Educational Opportunity Center School of the Holy Childhood St. John Fisher St. Joseph's Neighborhood Center State of New York Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) Systems Integration Project Tenants’ Union The Beat 105.5 FM The Children's Agenda Truform Manufacturing U of R EPO at East Upper and Lower US Congress United Christian Leadership Ministry United Way of Greater Rochester University of Rochester University of Rochester/EAST Partnership Urban League of Rochester Veterans Outreach Center Veterans Service Agency, Monroe County Volunteer Legal Services ProjectWegmans Food MarketsWhy Wait: International Higher Education SolutionYAMTEPYWCA

City of Rochester/RTS Vanpool Project

Rochester Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG)

Led by the City of Rochester, this program aims to create a network of community-based, employee-owned businesses that provide employment for individuals facing the most significant barriers. In 2017, OWN Rochester launched its first business, a green energy construction subcontractor called ENEROC. In spring 2018, OWN Rochester launched a floor care services business. OWN Rochester follows a recommendation from RMAPI’s first progress report to support local businesses and increase available jobs.

Strengthening Working Families Initiative

Young Adult Manufacturing Training Employment Program (YAMTEP)

RochesterWorks! and Monroe County/ Rochester Workforce Development Board

Bridges to Success and Family Independence Initiative

Rochester Rehabilitation Center has partnered with local employers and community organizations to create access to educational and training institutions for parents with dependent children at home. The program aligns with a recommendation from RMAPI’s first progress report to provide training and support that matches the working poor with willing employers seeking to fill job openings.

OWN Rochester

RochesterWorks! has incorporated recommendations from the RMAPI’s first progress report to help people living in poverty obtain and maintain steady employment and achieve self-sufficiency. The program works with the Finger Lakes and GLOW Workforce Development Boards to develop career pathways for new and transitioning workers. RochesterWorks! has also worked with the Monroe County/Rochester Workforce Development Board and committees to revise training and supportive service policies to dedicate a greater percentage of funding to the needs of low-income individuals.

RMAPI’s first progress report created a recommendation to provide better access to the area's public transportation, and the City of Rochester/RTS Vanpool project addresses that need. This project connects Rochester residents to jobs that may be out of reach of public transportation through the creation of vanpools. The project is expanding with $300,000 grant funding received from the New York State Department of Transportation.

YAMTEP is a 90-day manufacturing job training program for individuals with low incomes. Supported by the City of Rochester, Monroe County, and RochesterWorks!, YAMTEP has a network of over 30 companies. To date, more than 200 participants have learned valuable manufacturing skills and ultimately found sustainable employment through YAMTEP.

The first implementation strategy from RMAPI addresses the need for mentoring services for individuals and families seeking to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Bridges to Success couples individuals to a professional mentor while Family Independence Initiative connects families to a group of peers working together in creating change. Both programs help participants identify socio-economic needs and develop a specialized plan to achieve self-sufficiency goals. The programs are administered by Catholic Family Center, Action for a Better Community, and Community Place of Greater Rochester. Key results include:80.6 percent of participants in the Bridges to Success program advanced from “crisis” or “at risk” to “stable” in at least one major area (e.g., housing, health, education, employment)The average household income for Bridges to Success participants increased by 109.5 percent.The average number of Family Independence Initiative participants employed increased by 19 percent.

RMAPI’s first progress report pushed for local employers to address job essentials for the working poor. The HPOG program, funded by an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will work with 1,500 local residents to achieve self-sufficiency and find high-paying jobs in the healthcare field. Administered by Action for a Better Community, the program provides education and training to TANF recipients and other low-income individuals for occupations in the healthcare field.

United Way of Greater Rochester

Across our community, dozens of organizations have adopted RMAPI’s Guiding Principles to address trauma, address structural racism, and build and support our community. These have become the basis for community decision-making and guided the work of RMAPI.

United Way of Greater Rochester served as the first convener of the community’s effort to address poverty, bringing together stakeholders from across sectors in 2015 and 2016 to study the root causes of poverty and develop the community’s priorities. The United Way continued to play a key role for RMAPI in the years that followed, serving as the fiscal agent and hosting the RMAPI Backbone Staff.The United Way has also been an early leader in adopting and promoting the Guiding Principles and continues to take a lead role on community-wide efforts like the Systems Integration Project.

Racial Equity and Justice Initiative

RMAPI has worked with St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center to expand implementation of its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, which works with local agencies and businesses to create a higher awareness of structural racism and inspire them to combat it within their own organizations. This program has trained 200 individuals from more than two dozen organizations, and uses a Racial Equity Assessment Survey to measure institutional change within these organizations.

Adoption of RMAPI Guiding Principles