2021 Annual Report:
Making an Impact on the Communities We Serve
The Monroe County Emergency Rental Assistance Program
COVID-19 has exacerbated an affordable housing crisis that preceded the pandemic and that has intensified the deep disparities that existed previously. A moratorium on evictions and foreclosures began in March 2020 that tapped the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), to assist those who were unable to pay rent and utilities.
Monroe County and the City of Rochester received almost $22 million dollars to assist landlords with rental arrears. They envisioned a program where local Community Business Organizations would act as partners in determining eligibility and distributing the dollars directly using a shared data platform to manage and organize the work, and CCSI was awarded the role of technology host and operations lead.
Celebrating 20 Years of The Consortium on Trauma, Illness, and Grief
The Consortium on Trauma, Illness, and Grief (TIG) celebrated their 20-year anniversary in 2021. TIG is a comprehensive program that trains networks of school-based professionals to best meet the holistic needs of students and equips them with evidence-based crisis response skills.
Over the past 20 years, TIG has maintained their relevancy and continued to expand and grow, supporting schools through the return to in person learning, social injustices, and the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, in partnership with the Upstate New York College Consortium, the TIG curriculum was revised as they plan for the further expansion into higher education.
Expanding the School-Based Initiatives in Onondaga County
The 2021 School-Based Expansion focused on increasing support across three tiers, including Promise Zone Student Engagement, ACCESS School Liaisons, and supporting the implementation of Mental Health Outpatient Clinics in schools. Prior to the 2021 expansion, the Promise Zone Program had 30 staff, primarily supporting the Syracuse City School District.
From October to December 2021, the expanded programming placed 40 new Promise Zone staff in 56 new schools across 14 new districts in Onondaga county. In that same time frame, Promise Zone Student Engagement Specialists, performed more than 16,000 interventions of direct support to more than 2,800 students. In addition, 1,035 families were served through the ACCESS Liaisons, and nine of the expected 31 new School-Based Mental Health Outpatient Clinics were opened.