Overcoming the Inertia of Poverty

- It is the 29th "most needy" city.

- It is the fourth "poorest" city.

- It ranks Number 1 in "Overall Poverty," "Child Poverty" and "Extreme Poverty" among cities of comparable size. 

- Its school district is the second most "poverty stricken" district.

- Nearly one-half of its student population lives "in poverty."

These are rankings* for Rochester, New York and they don't represent comparisons to other cities in New York, but rather in the entire United States.  Each one of the categories in quotations above carries a specific definition relating to demographics and income, but you don't really need to know those particulars to realize we live in a location steeped in deep need, and not just in a financial sense. A huge segment of our population struggles on a daily basis just to exist.

Such statistics are generated every year, and unfortunately Rochester's rankings in these and other categories have gone essentially unchanged for quite a while. Overcoming the inertia of poverty of this level is extremely challenging.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year have come and gone, and with them some of personal time commitments that the holiday season brings.  Maybe you can now turn your attention to serving or giving to others with a renewed energy, and help build a bridge across the deep chasm of need in our community.  We’d love to help you take that step:  info@northridgeserves.com. 

* - Based primarily on recently-updated U.S. Census Bureau data

Interview with Dr. Brian Fikkert

This fall, the Northridge Serves team is collectively reading When Helping Hurts in order to have an understanding of Northridge Church's outreach strategy. Below is a link to an interview with Dr. Brian Fikkert, author of When Helping Hurts, giving an overview of the book and Dr. Fikkert's ministry through the Chalmers Center at Covenant College.

Helping Without Hurting: Christian Generosity and Material Poverty by Andy Jones

"Everything around me is wired to remove pain and to give me great comfort and assurance. There is a sense in which I don’t see a need for God in the everyday. I do intellectually, of course. But in the way I experience my Christian life and the way I live it out, there is a sense where I do not reach out to God as desperately as people who are in need do. I really do need him for every moment, but I do believe that Western Civilization has inoculated me a bit." - Dr. Brian Fikkert

What is Poverty?

This three-minute illustration by Tearfund 
considers the root of poverty.

(If you view this blog via email click HERE to see the video)

The Best Way to Help?

How many stories like Ronald's are there in this country?  In our city?  The numbers are high.

When Dealing With Those in Need

Brian Fikkert of the Chalmers Center briefly discusses how, when dealing with the poor, "the church is to create a foreshadowing of the Kingdom.....and give a sneak preview of the coming attractions."

How can the church (you and I) "demonstrate the reality and the authenticity of God" to those in need?

Every Number is a Human Story

Every year the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires communities to conduct counts of people living in emergency shelters or transitional housing. Every other year, HUD requires communities to also conduct counts of "unsheltered" people living in places unfit for human habitation (such as abandoned buildings, parks, "tent cities," etc).  In 2014, over 578,000 people were homeless on a given night, nationwide.

The statistics are important, and are used in a variety of ways to attempt to deal with the homelessness problem.  But it can be very easy to overlook the fact that every one of those numbers represents a story, a life, a person.

Jessica, one such person living on the streets of Boston, shared some of her story. 

Have the Homeless Become Invisible?

Consider your own reaction to seeing homeless people as you watch this brief video.

Rochester Poverty Rankings

Some recently-updated facts and statistics* on poverty in the City of Rochester:

•     Rochester has retained its rankings as the 2^nd poorest comparably-sized city and 5^th poorest principal city among the nation’s top 75 metro areas.

·         Our childhood (under 18 yrs. of age) poverty rate has increased since only 2013 from 46% to more than 50%, which now ranks No. 1 among the nation’s cities in comparably-sized metro areas. Rochester is the only city of comparable size in the nation where more than half the children live in poverty.

•     Our city now has the highest rate (about 16%) of “Extreme Poverty” of any comparably-sized city in the United States.  For a family of four, the federal government defines the poverty level as being a household income of $23,850 or less.  Extreme Poverty is defined by the Federal Government as living below 50% of the poverty level.  

*From “Benchmarking Rochester’s Poverty, A 2015 Update and Deeper Analysis of Poverty in the City of Rochester”, by Rochester Area Community Foundation and ACT Rochester. 

These are just a few of the sobering statistics.  This would seem to indicate limitless opportunities for people in our area to serve people with extremely deep needs.  If you are unsure how you might fit into that equation, Northridge Serves can help you not only find a way to help, but to do it in a way that provides more than just material needs.  Contact us any time at agencyrep.northridge@gmail.com.

Poverty and Humanness

Brian Fikkert, the founder and President of the Chalmers Center and co-author of When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself, provides a brief but insightful view on how poverty is much more than the obvious symptoms we typically observe.  The roots of poverty are actually common to both those who are lacking in a material sense and those who aren't, and we are all wired to "experience humanness in the way that God intended."  Does his viewpoint resonate with you?

How We Define Poverty from The Chalmers Center on Vimeo.

What Do the Poor Need?

At the start of this poverty series we defined physical poverty as “the state or condition where individuals or families lack the financial resources to meet basic needs”. To conclude this series we’re going to take a look at some of these basic physical needs and share how our partnering agencies help.

Three Basic Needs:

 

Food, Clothing and Shelter

Open Door Mission

Open Door Mission is a Christian Rescue Mission founded to provide for the spiritual and physical needs of the impoverished and homeless men, women and children of Rochester by restoring hope and changing lives. This unique ministry helps to meet all three of the above basic needs by providing hot and cold meals, clothes, and a place to sleep.

What Can You Do?

Consider helping to serve an evening meal, or help with any of the other opportunities found by clicking here.

Mission : Share

Mission share has ministries to help provide both clothing and food. The clothing closet and food pantry are open about three days a week.

What Can You Do?

Consider helping to sort and display clothing donations for the clothing closet or help with the other opportunities found here: http://northridgeserves.com/missionshare/

Rochester Family Mission

RFM also has a food distribution ministry that is open Mondays and Wednesdays for two hours each day. Each time the pantry is open they serve between 30-50 families.

What Can You Do?

Consider helping to transport and sort food for RFM’s food distribution ministry or help in any of the other ways found here: http://northridgeserves.com/rfm/

Email agencyrep.northridge@gmail.com to get involved.

How Poor Is Greece?

The following chart is from the Rochester Area Community Foundation.

It’s easy to assume that suburbs don’t really have poor people, but that’s not true. On the contrary, Greece is among the poorer suburbs of Rochester with a poverty rate of 9.2%.

What We’re Doing to Help

Mission : Share

Mission Share, our main Greece Campus service partner, focuses on sharing God’s love by helping to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people in the community. Their motto is “Sharing God’s love in practical ways” and they do this by meeting many physical needs such as clothes, food and school supplies.

What Can You Do?

Consider organizing a drive to collect needed items such as food, toiletries and school supplies or help with any of the other opportunities found here: http://northridgeserves.com/missionshare/

Email agencyrep.northridge@gmail.com to get involved.

How Poor Are Children?

In the Greater Rochester Area, 18.7% of children (18 years old and younger) are poor. According to the Rochester Community Foundation Inc, nearly half of the children living in the city of Rochester are poor (46%)! How does this compare to other places? Rochester has the poorest large urban school distract in New York State.

What We’re Doing to Help

Rochester Family Mission

RFM’s vision is to share the good news of Jesus Christ while caring for families by reaching out in Christian love to meet spiritual and practical needs. They do this in multiple ways including in their ministries to children. During the school year RFM provides tutoring for preschoolers through six graders Mondays-Wednesdays. During this time children get homework help and a meal; help to prevent future poverty and help for their current poverty.

What Can You Do?

Consider being an “I CAN” Kids tutor one night per week for 1.5 hours or consider any one of the other opportunities found here: http://northridgeserves.com/rfm/

Youth for Christ

Youth for Christ longs to see every young person in every people group in every nation have the opportunity to make an informed decision to be a follower of Christ and become a part of a local church. Here in Rochester, they understand that there’s a 1:2 chance that the youth they are trying to share Christ with is living in physical poverty too. So they too provide meals at most of their programs, and they have a Successful Pathways ministry focused on teen moms, helping to end the cycle of both physical and spiritual poverty.

What Can You Do?

Consider being a mentor for a teen mom or a child involved in the All Star Sports program, or help out in any of the other opportunities found here: http://northridgeserves.com/yfc/

Email agencyrep.northridge@gmail.com to get involved.

How Poor Are Female Headed Households?

Take a look at this chart created by the Rochester Area Community Foundation, Inc.

This chart shows the poverty rates for families with different characteristics, specifically highlighting female headed families (families with no husband present). Female headed families have the highest poverty rate in Rochester, where 64.2% of female headed families with children under 5 years old are poor. That’s an astounding number.

What We’re Doing to Help

CompassCare

A woman facing an unplanned pregnancy can be said to have different risk factors that would push them towards abortion. One of the higher risk factors is finances. “I can’t afford to have this baby.” Another high risk factor is that her partner is threatening to leave her if she doesn’t get an abortion. “I can’t have this baby alone.” Couple these two fears together and the risk is huge. She doesn’t want to be part of the 64.2%. CompassCare works towards erasing the need for abortion by transforming a woman’s fear into confidence. Having this child doesn’t mean she has to be a part of the 64.2%. There’s help, and CompassCare helps each woman connect with the help she needs to carry her child to term.

What Can You Do?

Consider being a part of a MotherCare Team by mentoring her and adding to her support network, or consider any one of the opportunities found here: http://northridgeserves.com/compass/

Good News Jail & Prison Ministry

According to the Correctional Association of New York, “80,000 children have a parent in a New York prison”. If the parent is the father, then there’s a high likelihood that his now female headed family is in poverty. The Good News Jail & Prison Ministry strives to meet the spiritual needs of both inmates and staff through ministry that includes evangelism, discipleship, and pastoral attention. In a place where their normal lives are disrupted, the Good News Jail ministry works towards meeting their spiritual poverty which often leads to a better way of life when they renter their families’ lives.

What Can You Do?

Consider taking a tour of the jail to learn more or consider any one of the other opportunities found here: http://northridgeserves.com/goodnews/

Grace House

“Reentry is tough. Two-thirds of release prisoners will be arrested again within three years.” Grace House strives to provide men recently released from a correctional facility a smooth transition to community life by providing a residence of safety and structure, and equipping them with the life skills necessary to successfully complete parole. In a sense, Grace House picks up where the Good News Jail & Prison Ministry ends, adding both spiritual and physical help to these men. They help them re-engage with their families, prevent homelessness for the men and help prevent future criminal behavior- ending old cycles and equipping men to start new ones. At Grace House, only one-fifth of released prisoners will be arrested again.

What Can You Do?

Consider being a maintenance volunteer for any of the five houses used in the program or consider any of the other opportunities found here: http://northridgeserves.com/gh/

Email agencyrep.northridge@gmail.com to get involved.

How Poor Are We?

True or false: Rochester is the 5th poorest city in the country?

True. Did you know that? Do you know that Rochester is the 2nd poorest city among cities of comparable size?

This chart and information comes from an article published by the Rochester Area Community Foundation Inc. in December 2013. You can read the whole article here.

How do you define poverty? Northridge Serves partners with organizations that hold tightly to the gospel while meeting physical needs in dignifying ways –that is to say, we partner with organizations who understand both the spiritual and physical poverty of those in our city. We are all spiritually poor without Christ, but sometimes in order to realize that poverty and that there’s salvation, our physical poverty (“the state or condition where individuals or families lack the financial resources to meet basic needs”) needs to be addressed as well. You can picture it this way: a hungry person’s stomach can growl so loud he can’t even hear you share about Jesus. We can’t ignore either need, and our partnering organizations work to meet both.

Although we can’t ignore either, we know that not everyone knows the physical poverty state of our city. So we’re embarking on a mini-blog “poverty series” to share with you how poor we are, and what you can do about it through our partnering organizations. Stay tuned.