GF Foundation in $180,000 initiative, aims to break ‘cycle of poverty’

By Mark Frost, Chronicle Editor

The Glens Falls Foundation has committed $180,000 — $60,000 each to Crandall Public Library, the Family Service Association of Glens Falls and the Open Door Mission — in a broad-based initiative that aims to achieve breakthrough progress overcoming multi-generational poverty that is widespread in its Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga County service area.

“Nearly one in five children in Warren and Washington Counties lives in poverty,” the Foundation said.

It cited statistics from the New York State Community Action Association, indicating that 41.4% of Washington County households are headed by women with children below the poverty line, 36.3% in Warren County and 26.1% in Saratoga County.

Donna Perkett, who chairs the Foundation’s Distribution Committee, said in a press statement: “Poverty, long-term unemployment and homelessness affect thousands of people in our community, and these challenges are spreading from one generation to the next. We want to support the local agencies and organizations that are on the front lines every day…

“We asked local non-profit organizations to come up with innovative, collaborative approaches, and they have done so…We hope this will be an ongoing community effort supported by other foundations, businesses and charitable groups.”

The Chronicle met on June 10 with Foundation board members Ms. Perkett, Mark Behan and Dr. Stacey Mandelbaum and with Kim Sopzcyk, executive director of the Family Service Association, Katheleen U. Naftaly, director of Crandall Public Library, and (by speaker phone) Kim Cook, director of the Open Door.

The Family Service Association is using its $60,000 grant to hire a third paid employee and “develop a new educational and long-term support program to help struggling families achieve economic independence and move out of poverty by collaborating with Adirondack Samaritan Counseling Center, schools, and businesses in our community.”

Ms. Sopczyk said they want to expand mentoring of families who may be “right on the edge of being sustainable” economically but can be quickly overwhelmed by a setback like missing payment on a storage locker and losing their possessions.

“We’re helping five or six families throughout the year,” learning to cope successfully — and think longer-term instead of just day-to-day, she said. “They’ve had a taste of it and they want more.” The program thrust is “helping them walk through a whole year and be successful.”

Crandall Library will “create the first local, centralized information resource, including a web portal and database, to connect people in poverty or without jobs with the services, training and support they need,” said the Foundation.

Ms. Naftaly said the aim is to enable people in need to readily access by computer and cell phone resources and get specific answers as needs arise. She used as examples where to obtain shoes for a child or an Argyle resident accessing help for a family member in need in North Creek.

The Open Door Mission, which serves more than 20,000 meals annually and operates the Code Blue homeless shelter, will use its $60,000 grant “to support a broad expansion of its outreach program and its facilities.”

Ms. Cook said Open Door will expand its “bridge out of poverty” initiative by adding classroom space, a computer lab and resource navigators. She said Open Door plans to consolidate its whole program in a building they’ll announce next month.

One agency head said the Foundation’s “brave move” has grown “the awareness that we do have poverty here in our little community and it now is the time to act.”

And she said that due to the Foundation initiative, “we’re thinking outside the box. You guys have taken the lead….You’re the catalyst we needed.”

Ms. Perkett said, “I’m really proud of our community, how we’re working together and collaborating.”

From a poor person’s perspective

She said Foundation board members and some agency personnel have taken training in Schenectady for people not in poverty to understand how the world looks to people who are in poverty.

“The mind shift was amazing,” Ms. Perkett said. “I look at this so differently after attending this training.” She recommends it for everyone. (See adjacent box.)

“It’s been exciting to see the light bulbs come on,” said Ms. Cook.

She said the “bridge out of poverty” isn’t a specific program as much as it’s a “set of constructs. Schenectady is using it very successfully.” She said it makes for greater understanding of people who are in poverty and “how do they do life.”

“We believe sincerely in engaging individuals and families in a way that gives them the tools and the confidence they need to overcome poverty and create a better life for themselves and, in turn, create a more sustainable community for all of us,” Ms. Cook was quoted in press materials.

The Glens Falls Foundation, a community foundation, said it has a $15-million endowment and has made $7.6-million in grants since its founding in 1939.

Info: www.glensfallsfoundation.org, www.opendoor-ny.org, www.crandalllirary.org, www.fsaglensfalls.org.

Open Door sets series of 2-day workshops: It will ‘change the way you view poverty’

The Open Door Mission in Glens Falls is offering a series of “2 Day Intensive Training” workshops meant to help people “better understand poverty in our community.”

Workshops date are June 21-22, Aug. 9-10, Sept. 29-30 and Nov. 3-4. They’ll take place in the Community Room at Village Green, 1 South Delaware Ave., Glens Falls. Cost: $20 person (book and materials included). Space is limited.

Registration at 8:30 a.m., training starts at 9. Info: 792-5900.

“This class will change the way you view poverty and those struggling to get by in our area,” said the press release.

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