Brockport Community Connection (BCC) is an organized coalition of church leaders, service organizations, and town leaders that began meeting regularly earlier this year as a united effort to promote a higher quality of life for residents in need living in the Brockport/Sweden community.
Eliecia Young, Associate Pastor at Brockport First Baptist Church, saw a need in the community last year when residents in crisis would reach out to the church for assistance. She had to give out the names and phone numbers of many different organizations for residents to contact for help. In seeing how complex it was for residents in need to get the proper services, she began to envision a community whose needs could be met by connecting to one single source.
This concept is being done successfully in Hamlin at Life Solutions. “When people of Hamlin are in crisis, they know exactly where to go and who to speak with to get help,” Pastor Young said. Life Solutions is a one-stop location to meet the needs of residents living north of Route 104. They handle various needs – food, clothing, senior programs, home care, housing assistance, transportation, and more. “Brockport does not have this,” Pastor Young said.
She reached out to a group of leaders from downtown Brockport churches (St. Luke’s, Nativity BVM, Brockport First Baptist) and leaders from the local food shelf, SUNY Brockport, and Village of Brockport, to begin evolving this vision into a reality.
As Pastor Young and the BCC team were beginning to blaze the trail for the Brockport Community Connection, she was contacted by County Legislator Jackie Smith. Upon reviewing the socioeconomic statistics for the communities she serves, Smith identified a definitive need for an improved reach of community services in the Brockport area. She contacted Pastor Young and offered to be the conduit of services between BCC and the available county and state programs.
Efforts were combined, and they had their first meeting together in January. More than 40 community leaders, including Brockport clergy, service organizations such as the Director of the Office of the Aging, Office of Mental Health, and Office of Human Services, as well as town leaders, participated.
“The goal of this meeting was to reach leaders and community volunteers in our community to educate them with the programs Monroe County offers so they could help assist residents in need of these services,” Legislator Smith said. Smith was also eager to collaborate by bringing together services for seniors that would help them stay in their homes longer.
Regular meetings are taking place as the BCC is being developed into Brockport’s one-stop community services outpost. Services range from transportation, housing repairs, temporary housing assistance, “aging in place” services for seniors, as well as food and clothing. There will also be educational opportunities. The March meeting included Narcan training to help teach others how to save lives from an opioid overdose.
“There are just so many great programs available, and we want to make them more accessible to residents,” said Legislator Smith.
As Pastor Young, Legislator Smith, and other community volunteers continue collaborating to help unite services under one roof for the Brockport/Sweden community, the BCC is facing a critical need – a building to house this program.
The building would act as the location where a person could stop in to learn about and apply for all the services available to them, including access to the local churches, non-profits, and countywide and statewide services. “We need our building to be in a central location so that transportation need does not prevent them from getting services,” Pastor Young said.
Her dream is to have a building with ample storage space, room for the food shelf, and a large community gathering area to host various community programs. “My goal is to have a unity of efforts under one roof from everyone who provides support to the community,” Pastor Young said.
BCC is processing for its non-profit status, and there will be a fundraising dunk tank event held at the Brockport Arts Festival in August. For more information on how to be a part of the BCC, email brockportcommunityconnection@gmail.com.
For a complete list of services available to Brockport/Sweden residents CLICK HERE
