Greetings!
Volunteers from ROC Missions in front of 142 Webster Ave.
Family Promise of Greater Rochester is excited to be part of the Beechwood neighborhood permanently! On Friday, March 17, we purchased 142 Webster Avenue where our Day Center has been located since 2017. The first floor will continue as the hub for case management, office work, and community gathering. With laundry, storage, and a full kitchen, it is a welcome space for staff, families, and volunteers.
The apartments on the second floor will become the new Transitional Housing Program which will add to the ways FPGROC already assists families to achieve sustainable independence. Together, these holistic services - eviction prevention, shelter diversion, shelter, stabilization case management, and now housing - will allow us to provide the full scope of homelessness and prevention services.
The number one reason families experience homelessness in Greater Rochester and across the country is a lack of decent, equitable, and affordable housing.[1] For every 100 individuals or families living on a very low income in Rochester, there are only 27 housing units available, according to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition.[2] Given this reality, the Transitional Housing Program is a natural next step in addressing family homelessness.
Families in the program will pay an affordable rent and build skills and confidence by accessing community resources on financial education, credit repair, and employment stability. Some of these families will even work toward home ownership.
The purchase of the building and our new program wouldn’t be possible without key partnerships with two local property managers: FGB Property Management and RocOn Property Management. Max and Blake Gianniny (FGB) have been gracious landlords and supporters, and we are grateful to Orlando Ortiz (RocOn Property Management) from whom FPGROC rents six apartments in the community for the Shelter Program.
Settling into our new home and program provides an opportunity for community support – here’s how you can help!
Make a donation to assist us in a needed facelift to the upstairs apartments and back hallway. Projects include new carpet, updated appliances, drywall finishing, and more. These contributions will also support the ongoing maintenance we previously outsourced to our landlord as well as stabilization services for the Transitional Housing Program. Send a check marked “housing” or give online at www.fpgroc.org/housing.
Join us for a Second Saturday and volunteer your time and talent painting, installing drywall, ripping up carpet, and other tasks. Learn more about and RSVP for the next Second Saturday at www.fpgroc.org/second-saturday.
If you are interested in visiting our new building and the renovated Transitional Housing Program space near the end of May, please reach out to set up a time for you or your group to come by.
Family Promise of Greater Rochester would not exist without you, the community. From our founding in 2004 based on the interfaith model of gracious hospitality, to the donors, volunteers, and advocates who see an opportunity to make change for the better for families facing homelessness today, thank you.
Here’s to the next chapter of our journey together, ensuring affordable, decent, equitable housing is seen as a human right and every family has a place to call home.
With gratitude,
Kim Hunt-Uzelac, LMSW, Executive Director
Andrew Rath, Board Chair
P.S.: Mark your calendar for our first Legacy Circle gathering Thursday, May 25 at 10am - enjoy fellowship, coffee, and conversation at Church of the Assumption in Fairport. Learn more about laying your legacy foundation in Rochester by including FPGROC in your estate planning or through IRA distributions, charitable gift annuities, stock transfers, and other planned gifts. RSVP by calling the Day Center: 585-506-9050 or visiting www.fpgroc.org/legacy.