Strengthening our community through collaboration

Contact Community Services has forged strong partnerships with school districts and local community and government agencies to strengthen our community. We are currently coordinating two very important community projects:

• Improving the delivery of mental health services to students through the Mental Health & Education Systems Collaborative
• Improving the delivery of services to people trying to transition out of poverty through the Bridges Out of Poverty Initiative

Mental Health & Education Systems Collaborative

Contact Community Services convenes the Mental Health & Education Systems Collaborative with representatives from schools, school districts and the mental health community. The goal is to better meet the mental health needs of children and their families so that students will be more successful in school, home and community.
The group’s goals include:

• Training to provide information about services, resources and best practices
• Improving the identification, assessment, and referral / linkage of children and families in need of services
• Investigating funding opportunities for services and training

For more information please contact John Cook, Deputy Director, (315) 251-1400 ext. 118 or jcook@contactsyracuse.org .

Bridges Out of Poverty

Contact has been a leader in the Bridges Out of Poverty community-wide initiative. Contact is working with more than a dozen public and private organizations to:

• Educate people about the unique and sometimes hidden obstacles faced by individuals in poverty
• Offer strategies and a common language of understanding that entire organizations can use to better serve their clients from the culture of poverty
• Bring together area businesses and not-for-profit employers to develop methods to increase retention of welfare-to-work employees

United Way Awards Community Initiative Grant to Contact for "Getting Ahead /Circles" Work.

Read an overview of the Bridges Out of Poverty Initiative.

Read article, Poverty program expands in CNY: In a year, Bridges Out of Poverty Initiative has trained more than 2,000.

For more information, please contact Angela Douglas at 315-251-1400 ext. 110 or adouglas@contactsyracuse.org .