Community Action Service Center
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Mission Statement
Our Mission: Through community partnerships and direct services, we assist local families and individuals in recovering from setbacks and achieving their full potential. Our Vision: We strive to be the center of social support services in the Hightstown/East Windsor area, building a cohesive environment where families thrive and feel optimistic about their future. Purpose: We respond to our community’s needs by providing the following programs: • Family Basic Needs: Rise Food Pantry, Latino Domestic Violence Prevention, Emergency Assistance, Holiday Food Basket and “Adopt a Family” Program, MLK Sleepy Time Drive, Rise to the TASK • Development: Adult Development, Youth - Summer Academic Enrichment Program, Middle School Safe Dates Program, 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens workshop, goLEAD Training • Family Health: Health Care Access Counseling, Family and Children’s Mental Health, Community Health and Wellness Events, Parenting Basics
About This Cause
Need being addressed: In this historically blue collar migrant worker, farming community there has been a long history of working poor families. These people are at high risk for failure to thrive economically due to their inability to earn a wage commensurate with the rising costs of housing, healthcare, childcare, and food in this area. Many report that they are undereducated, and often suffering from a physical or mental disability that greatly impacts their ability to get ahead. When shifts in the economy (such as escalating fuel costs, a rise in utilities/clothing/food, etc.) divert their limited funding, they become engulfed in a downward spiral because their income has not increased. The subsequent indirect results of an economic shift cause them to either fall behind on rent and utilities or have very little left over for food. The population we are referring to are living at 125% above the Federal Poverty Level or below. When faced with a crisis or an unexpected expense (such as auto repairs, illness, funeral expense, etc.) their limited resources are not enough to cover their family’s basic needs. Methods/modalities to implement program design: With over 60% of our clients comprised of recently arrived immigrants, it is imperative for us to employ a bilingual/bicultural case management staff. This approach allows us to effectively communicate with our client base and better understand the cultural barriers that sometimes impede their progress. Client forms and brochures are available in Spanish as well as English. How the program meets a need: We provide short-term solutions for their immediate needs and refer them to the programs and/or services that will help them meet their long-term goal for self sufficiency. Most clients come to the center for food pantry support or rental/utility assistance. Upon a client’s third visit, we suggest they meet with a case manager to discuss longer-term solutions to their immediate crisis. Our staff is able to help clients identify problem areas such as unemployment or underemployment, a lack of basic skills (reading, writing, math), a lack of health insurance, etc. Staff can assist clients with solving their most pressing problems by working with them to complete a short but thorough intake form then: 1) develop a plan to resolve the long-term issues and 2) provide assistance as needed with the implementation of such a plan. Need as documented by Demographic Data: Free and reduced-price lunches were provided for over 25% of students in the East Windsor Regional School District. Reference: New America Foundation-Federal Education Budget Project 2011. Hightstown experiences lower median incomes, higher rates of poverty and unemployment, and lower levels of education when compared to many of the other outlying communities in Mercer County. Reference: 2006-2010 US Census American Community Survey. The report, ‘Shaping the Future: Women and Girls in Central New Jersey’, published in June 2012 touched upon many of the needs in Mercer County for women and girls, particularly for those in the Hightstown/East Windsor area. The study illuminates the scarcity of after-school and summer programs specifically mentioning that there are few options located in Hightstown and East Windsor. The research also names East Windsor as having a higher percentage of reported and substantiated child abuse and neglect cases as reported by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. Our location in the eastern corridor of Mercer County is home to an emerging Latino community. Because we utilize client and not program based delivery systems we make it a priority to have a multicultural, bilingual staff that reflects the changes in the community over the years. We meet the linguistic needs of clients to be served: All of our direct service staff is fluent in at least two languages: English and Spanish. The overall diversity of the area lends itself to the need for representation of other languages spoken in the area. Our staff can communicate in French, Creole, Romanian, Punjabi, Farsi and several African dialects. We address capacity/diversity issues within our agency: Clients come to us because they know we have a reputation of service that extends across cultural and ethnic lines to include anyone who has fallen on hard times and has the desire to improve their situation. INVOLVE CONSUMERS: We offer a wide range of programs that help struggling members of our local community build independence and achieve their full potential. We involve Consumers in the operation of many of our programs including: the Rise Food Pantry, Rise to the TASK, and the Greater Goods Thrift Store. Service planning and evaluation by Consumers is an integral part of planning process of the Summer HELP program, Case Management services and Parenting Basics classes. The feedback provided by the Consumers assist us with modifying existing programs and providing new programs, such as the bilingual Parenting Basics classes, tailored to the specific needs of our community. The agency's programs and COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS are as follows: Case Management: We offer families a "hand up" by helping them find work, food, shelter, and other urgently needed services until they can rise to meet those challenges on their own. We provide social services to the families from Better Beginnings Child Development Center and Head Start as well as the Hightstown/East Windsor community. Also, rental assistance is provided by funding from FEMA and is available for clients facing eviction. Salvation Army provides funding for emergency utility assistance and medical prescription purchases. Rise partners with the Junior League of Greater Princeton to host a holiday party for 700 children and their families. Rise coordinates a Medi-Cool Program to provide free air condiditoners to seniors and the disabled. Summer HELP: (Highstown East Windsor Learning Partners): An all-day academic enrichment program encourages children's future success over the summer. Through academic support and social skills development, we provide early intervention to help parents identify behaviors and disabilities that could become a barrier to academic success and lead them to resources through our partnerships. The summer program is physically located at the Walter C. Black Elementary School, 371 Stockton Street, Hightstown, NJ. Rise Food Pantry : Through an alliance with Mercer Street Friends and community donations, our program feeds hundreds of families every week and provides nutrition and health education. In conjunction with the Animal Rescue Mission, we provide free pet food and neutering programs at the Pantry. Also, we deliver hot Thanksgiving meals and baskets to 500 families. The Rise Food Pantry is physically located at 225 Franklin Street, Hightstown, NJ. Rise to the TASK : With food delivered from the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Rise oversees two community dinner programs per week, serving 275 meals in two local houses of worship. On Mondays the suppers are offered at the First Presbyterian Church of Hightstown, 320 North Main Street, Hightstown NJ and on Thursdays at the First Methodist Church at 187 Stockton Street, Hightstown, NJ. Mental Health Counseling: We provide families with affordable counseling using a sliding scale fee system for all family members through a partnership with the All Access Mental Health (AAMH) in Princeton. Domestic Violence Prevention Program: In partnership with Womanspace, we provide screening for domestic violence to all clients who come to Rise; this includes on-site counseling with an LCSW employed by Womanspace. Safe Dates Program: In collaboration with the East Windsor Regional School District, the Safe Dates program aims to raise students' awareness of what constitutes healthy and abusive relationships; raise students' awareness of dating abuse, its causes and consequences; change adolescent norms about dating violence; equip students with the skills and resources necessary to help themselves or friends in abusive dating relationships, including positive communication, anger management, and conflict resolution. The Safe Dates Program is located at the Kreps Middle School at 5 Kent Lane, East Windsor, NJ. Greater Goods Thrift Store: We are committed to recycling gently used clothing, furniture, and household items at affordable prices and providing service opportunities to the community. Vouchers are provided on an as needed basis by our Case Managers. The Thrift Store is physically located at 114 Rogers Ave., Hightstown, NJ. Parenting Basics: Small classes impart knowledge about breastfeeding basics and proper nutrution to young mothers and fathers and are facilitated by staff from the Univerity Medical Center of Princeton. Volunteer Program: Volunteering at Rise is a great way to make friends, get involved and help others. Our growing network of dedicated volunteers contributes more than 6500 hours of service a year. Your time and energy can make a real difference in our community! There are many ways you can contribute your time: Greater Goods Thrift Store – sorting/tagging, display design, advertising & publicity, furniture pickup/delivery, and more Food Pantry – organize food donation drives; help with pickup/delivery or distribution of food. Food Drives bring needed nourishment directly to the community, help us provide many of our services, and save us money on labor and fees. You can participate at any level – with your neighborhood, your school, your workplace, or your entire community. Special Events & Seasonal Programs – Adopt-a-Family Holiday Gift Program, Holiday Food Drive, Rise-sponsored Holiday party, MLK Sleepy Time Drive, Community Health & Wellness Fair, summer enrichment program and more General assistance – office and clerical work, grant writing support, social media marketing, and more Join the Board--The members of the Rise Board of Directors serve to support and promote the ideals of Rise and the surrounding community. By committing their time and resources, members contribute to the betterment of the community as a whole.