The Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency, Inc. is an agency administering various programs that provide assistance to low-income customers in the mission of moving toward self-sufficiency. Family Development is one component of the agency, and all the programs within this component follow this mission completely.

Included in the Family Development component are the following programs: Emergency Services, Homeless Services, Child Passenger Safety, food pantry, Wheels for Work, Essentials for Employment and Attire for Hire.

€ Emergency Services is at the core of assistance provided by Family Development. Advocates work closely with customers in crisis situations to move them out of crisis and into stability. Services may include information and referral, advocacy and/or financial assistance. Although financial assistance may be limited, it is a powerful program able to work with individuals in the process of crisis resolution. Advocates see a variety of crisis each day, which may include prescription, rent, housing, or utility assistance.

€ The Family Development component has really taken on the homeless services available in the agency and has developed a comprehensive plan to help those living on the streets in Cayuga County. Customers meeting the HUD definition of homelessness are able to access services including rental assistance, security deposit assistance, transportation services and long-term case management. This program has facilitated numerous families and individuals moving closer toward self-sufficiency.

€ Child safety seats significantly reduce the risk of fatal injury when used correctly, however misuse reduces effectiveness. The majority of child seats are regularly installed improperly. This program addresses this issue by both providing safe seats for children and educating parents on correct installation by a certified car seat technician.

€ The food pantry provides food to families who fall below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Families are currently able to access the pantry up to once a week. This assistance is proving useful for customers who are unable to maintain all their household bills and feed their family. Rather than choosing between rent and food, families are able to obtain food from our pantry and pay their household bills on time.

€ Family Development currently has put into place three programs that remove barriers to employment for customers: Wheels for Work, Essentials for Employment and Attire for Hire. Each of these programs relate back to self-sufficiency by allowing customers to break down walls that prevent them from working. Wheels for Work provides transportation opportunities to increase employment opportunities. Essentials for Employment teaches customers resume writing, interviewing techniques, and basic computer literacy, increasing customers' potential to gain employment. Attire for Hire addresses the issue of clothing appropriateness at interviews. If an individual is unable to dress appropriately for an interview, it may hinder their ability to become employed. By providing appropriate clothing, this program removes the final barrier. Each of these programs works closely together to get customers moving off of services and into full time employment.

Every program in the Family Development component of Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency works together to help customers address crisis situations and then move toward long term planning with the final goal of self-sufficiency.

By utilizing the unique set-up of the office, customers are able to work with both advocates and case managers and gain maximum results from the programs they are in need of. We are proud of our programs and the customers they help.

Amanda Wetherbee is the Family Development director for Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency, Inc. She may be reached at 252-0083 ext. 240 or

ahudson@cscaa.com