Common Ground Health’s mission is to bring focus to community health issues via data analysis, resident engagement, and solution implementation. Healers Village, an initiative of Common Ground Health, is an ecosystem of healing and wellness that was developed in response to the growing mental health crisis. 

The project utilizes a culturally responsive, relational approach to healing and wellness to transform mental health systems and supports.  This grant aims to increase our community's capacity to provide an expanded continuum of trauma-informed and culturally responsive mental health services and supports to BIPOC people, training practitioners in these therapies as well as developing a learning collaborative and a train the trainer module locally.

FPGROC assists families at risk of or experiencing homelessness to achieve sustainable independence by providing person-centered, holistic services in collaboration with the greater community. Wilson Foundation funding supports the Prevention & Diversion Program, which allows FPGROC to address the full scope of homelessness by providing resources for prevention, in addition to the organization’s core work within the shelter and stabilization programs. Specifically, the program addresses local disproportionate housing insecurity by providing (1) rental assistance to prevent evictions and (2) security deposits or first month’s rent to divert a homelessness situation and regain housing.

FPGROC will have achieved success when affordable, decent, equitable housing is seen as a human right and every family has a place to call home.

Learn more and join up with their mission here: https://www.fpgroc.org/

HOPE585 works with families and youth involved in child welfare and other non-voluntary systems and seeks to disrupt the racial and economic injustice they face. The primarily Black and low-income families served carry deep burdens of trauma and struggle to meet basic needs—such as food, housing, and childcare—thus often being reported to CPS or losing their children to foster care. Hope585’s trauma-informed prevention programs address the hopelessness and resource gaps experienced by nearly 1,000 system-involved families and youth each year. They actively advocate child welfare systems change. Its Reimagine Initiative—a two-year grassroots organizing project—iss advancing collaborative, community-driven solutions to narrow the front door to child welfare and end the trauma of unnecessary CPS involvement in the lives of poor, Black, and Brown families. 

House of Mercy is Rochester’s largest low-barrier homeless shelter, providing food, shelter, and housing support to adults who are often excluded from other services. Their term for this work is "radical compassion." This "Mercy in Motion" grant of $140,000 over two years supports general operating expenses, supporting the daily, often unseen work by a dedciated team of caseworkers who also provide wraparound support even after guests transition into other housing. Learn more and join in the work: https://houseofmercyrochester.org/

For 53 years, JPC has been dedicated to helping formerly justice-involved individuals become productive citizens. Monroe County welcomes nearly 2,000 individuals released from jails and prisons each year. The data show that individuals who obtain and maintain jobs are less likely to re-offend.

The Civil Action Project plays a crucial role in this effort by providing targeted employment support for the reentry community, assisting them in applying for civic restorations, such as certificates of rehabilitation or record sealing, improving their employment opportunities, reinstating various licenses, and reducing the likelihood of certain discriminatory employment practices.

JPC has incorporated the framework of "racism as a public health crisis" into all of its programming and aims to dismantle unjust systems and practices.

Mt. Hope Family Center is well known for providing evidence-based trauma-responsive interventions for vulnerable families. The PATHS Summer Camp Expansion draws upon resources from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) to address children’s experiences of trauma, promote healing, and build coping skills in a summer camp group context in which interpersonal skills can be developed that can reduce the long-term physical and mental health challenges that can result from trauma.

Untrapped Ministries engages violence-involved young people in their Rise and Thrive program which connects over-age, under-credited youth to a path towards attaining their GEDs. This trauma-informed approach to violence prevention and intervention also aims to increase housing stability among youth participants by providing financial support for housing costs.

Learn more about this work: https://www.untrappedministries.org/

YWCA of Rochester & Monroe County is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.  They have provided safe, quality housing in Rochester for more than 140 years. Their housing services span the continuum from emergency shelter services, supportive housing to women who have a substance abuse diagnosis, permanent supportive housing for individuals with significant barriers to housing, rapid re-housing, and specialized rapid re-housing tailored to survivors of domestic violence. We also advocate for racial and economic justice. This grant supports the growing emergency housing program, which provides housing and supportive services to more than 250 individuals a year. 

The Center for Teen Empowerment (TE) is a city-wide, neighborhood-based youth organizing program that engages and employs young people (ages 14-19) who live in Rochester’s toughest neighborhoods to work as youth organizers. Over 50 YOs use their voices and actions each year to confront poverty, mental health needs, educational inequity, and teen violence in their communities. This grant supports hiring and advocacy for their YOs.