COMMUNITY IMPACT | Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative at United Way
ROCHESTER-MONROE ANTI-POVERTY
INITIATIVE AT UNITED WAY
The Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative at United Way is an unprecedented community-wide effort to reduce poverty in the Rochester
and Monroe County region by 50 percent over the next 15 years.
This initiative is made possible by extraordinary community collaboration
and integration with community leaders, local and state government,
service providers and practitioners, faith institutions, volunteers, youth
advocates, and importantly, the active participation of people impacted by poverty.
50%
GOAL
Reduce poverty in the Rochester
and Monroe County region by 50% over the next 15 years
Building the Foundation
The Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative at United Way (RMAPI) began in early 2015 with extensive community engagement, research and a rigorous design process that resulted in a roadmap for advancing the
initiative. Community workgroups developed recommendations for addressing poverty-related barriers in the
Rochester-Monroe region with specific focus on: Childcare, Education, Health and Nutrition, Housing, Jobs
and Workforce Development, Justice System, Safe Neighborhoods and Transportation.
Guiding Principles
Resource teams have identified common themes that will serve as the foundation for all anti-poverty planning
and implementation efforts. RMAPI will advocate for consideration of these principles as Greater Rochester develops community-wide standards to address our most critical issues.
COMMUNITY BUILDING
A common theme expressed by
people impacted by poverty is the
desire to continue residing in their
current neighborhoods, on the
condition that the neighborhoods
meet their needs with enhanced
supports to improve the vitality of the communities.
STRUCTURAL RACISM
Structural racism can be defined as a system in which public policies, institutional practices,
cultural representations and other
norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate
racial group inequity. The ongoing
effects of structural racism and bias continue as a major barrier for
people of color as they attempt to
break free of poverty.
TRAUMA
Studies confirm that ongoing and
continuous stress arising from
threats to well-being negatively
affects cognitive function; in some
cases this can result in barriers
to performance, developmental
progress and goal achievement.
For people of color who are living
in poverty, structural racism and
trauma compound one another, and the impact is exponential.
ROCHESTER-MONROE ANTI-POVERTY INITIATIVE IS . . .
COLLABORATIVE, COMMUNITY-DRIVEN, PERSON-CENTERED,
DATA-INFORMED AND EVIDENCE-BASED.
A Work in Progress
RMAPI is focusing its efforts on addressing the needs of the working poor to help them emerge from and stay out
of poverty. The first areas of implementation include:
SYSTEMS DESIGN
Designing a comprehensive, integrated system of social supports in conjunction with the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge planning effort. The City of Rochester was one
of 16 cities worldwide to receive support from a team of experts in analyzing poverty
data and developing solutions.
ADULT MENTORING/NAVIGATING
Establishing an adult mentor/navigator role that helps working poor individuals to overcome barriers and acquire the resources, knowledge and skills necessary
to attain and retain a living wage job and break the cycle of poverty. EARLY CHILDHOOD SUPPORT
Ensuring support for the youngest members of our community that provides both
high-quality, affordable, accessible and flexible childcare needed for parents to engage in community, economic mobility and wellness-related activities; and in-home parent training proven to give new parents the skills to succeed as their
children’s first teachers.
A Community Effort
United Way is calling on our entire community to help lift our most vulnerable members out of poverty. Reducing
poverty in Rochester and Monroe County will require a long-term effort that can only be successful if it addresses
the barriers that prevent individuals and families from moving toward economic stability.
Our ultimate goal is to enable every child and family in the region to have the opportunity to live in a stable
environment where the promise of economic stability—and economic mobility—is within their grasp.
To learn more about the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative at United Way and progress to date, visit
endingpovertynow.org.
RMAPI aligns with the New York State Governor’s Rochester Anti-Poverty Task Force. The Finger Lakes Regional
Economic Development Council (FLREDC) included RMAPI as one of the four pillars of the region’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative (URI) proposal and won an award of $500 million dollars over five years for Rochester and the Finger Lakes region, beginning in 2016.