STATEMENT OF NEED
Poverty in the Erie community prevents many individuals and families (24% of Erie residents lived below the poverty threshold in 2008) from reaching their fullest potential. Moreover, it has a detrimental overall impact on the community’s quality of life and economic growth.
INTRODUCTION
The Greater Erie Community Action Committee (GECAC), United Way, and the Mercyhurst College Civic Institute, propose an approach conversant with, and inclusive of, all sectors of our community, that addresses poverty at both the systemic and individual levels. By building human and social capital neighborhoods can be improved, lives enriched, and families and the community will become more economically secure.
Mercyhurst College Civic Institute is the lead agency of this collaborative that is representative of broad based expertise and experience including: research and evaluation; proven ability to address issues related to poverty and provide direct service to individuals and families; and successful community convening and collaboration with other organizations in the community.
PHILOSOPHY
The underlying philosophy of Erie Together is that poverty is a community issue requiring a comprehensive community-wide response inclusive of all sectors. Erie Together has reached out to existing organizations and initiatives that seek to address poverty and to involve business, government, faith-based groups, low-income individuals, educational institutions and non-profit organizations to work together to make Erie a more vibrant community.
PROCESS METHODS/COMPONENTS
Three key components, Dialogue to Action, the Family Action Team and aCommunity Leader Team comprise the initiative.
Informed by research on “best practices” for addressing poverty Erie Together includes:
- Strengthening Community by facilitating Dialogue To Action Teams (DACTS)bringing together community members in targeted areas to engage in dialogue leading to a concrete action plan to improve that community’s quality of life for all, but most directly for those with low-incomes,
- Empowering Families by convening Family Action Team (FACTS) and implementing a mentoring program for low-income families within the targeted neighborhoods so that these families might move toward economic self-sufficiency. In addition to building human capital and individual improvements, families that are part of the mentoring program will also be involved with the Dialogue and Action Teams, working together to help determine systemic changes to work for as well.
- Building Economic Success by convening a Community Leader Teamcomprised of cross sector leaders who will work together and with the broader community to develop a community agenda to address systemic issues related to poverty; and take an active role by utilizing the information from the action plans presented by the Dialogue to Action Teams to develop community priorities and identify resources needed to address economic and social development in Erie County.
This initiative is assets based and the identification of assets, as well as barriers, to economic security will occur in the neighborhoods worked in. During year one, two neighborhoods are engaged in the Dialogue to Action process and 19 families are being mentored. This is intended to be a five year initiative. Over that time period 10 neighborhoods will be engaged and up to 100 families will be mentored.
A Steering Committee comprised of cross sector representation provides direction to the initiative, coordination with other poverty reduction efforts and assist with community organizing and awareness. In the first year they have assisted in developing: a community selection process; a Coalition for the Pilot area; a process for identification and recruitment of Community Partners for the Family Mentoring Program and, a logic model for the initiative.
Erie Together recognizes the complexity of the issues related to poverty and sets forth a process that will certainly move many people toward economic self-sufficiency, improve access to services, and increase opportunities for community involvement in developing poverty reduction strategies that will impact individuals, families and the community as a whole.
“Erie Together is a coalition of the Mercyhurst Civic Institute where Laura Lewis, Ph.D., heads the project; the United Way of Erie County, and the Greater Erie Community Action Committee (GECAC). One of the reasons the Women’s Fund chose to fund this project is because it is a collaboration of these three reputable agencies. Experience tells us projects of this size take years and lots of people to be successful. Similar successful models exist in Savannah, Ga., and Hamilton, Ontario. All such successful projects, including Erie Together, enlist the participation of a broad cross section of community leaders with the capacity and authority to change community policies and conditions. At the same time, participating low-income families identify individual barriers to self-sufficiency, and then work with trained staff and community volunteers to find solutions. I’m pleased to be a part of one solution to those recent headlines spotlighting our poverty rates and hope other community members will make efforts to change those headlines as well.” Donna Douglass, editorial Erie Times-News, October 11, 2009
