Temple B'rith Kodesh, Rochester, NY

Concerned with the lack of decent affordable housing during the period of the race riots in the City of Rochester in the early '60s, and the well publicized fact that families without adequate housing were being placed by the County Welfare Department in hotels and motels, a group of congregants at Temple Brith Kodesh partnered with the County and built three large houses initially, which were placed in service in 1971 as Emergency Housing until families could be relocated to permanent housing. The cost of this housing was less than in hotels, and provided the family with a real home; furnished, equipped with kitchenware and linens, and managed by an experienced social worker at the Lewis Street Settlement House to assist them to get back on their feet. Charitable Foundations made the construction of the new homes possible, including the Ames-Amzalak Memorial Trust, the Gannett Foundation, Xerox Foundation, the Rochester Area Community Foundation, and the Adler Foundation, among others. These houses were located on Pennsylvania Avenue, Weld Street and Central Park on lots which became vacant after years of arson in the '70s following increased abandonment in neighborhoods that experienced the race riots of the '60s.

This became a model for the correct way to treat families that were down on their luck, and soon the County partnered with other settlement houses for similar facilities. The need for Emergency Housing continued to grow through the '80s, and in 1989 the County asked Tempro to provide six additional smaller houses to accommodate a different profile of needy family: the single mother with one or two children.

The following year we were asked by the Northeast Block Club Alliance to rehabilitate a Playground Recreation Building on First Street north of Central Park that the City had slated for demolition because of periodic vandalism and lack of funds. This fine brick building had been a Public Works Administration project to provide recreation in a poor neighborhood, and its restoration seemed to us to be a way to show the residents of the neighborhood that someone cared about their welfare. With Foundation funds and contributions from banks which we solicited, and sweat equity by Tempro members, we rehabilitated the building, which is now used every summer by Community Place of Rochester, the successor to Lewis Street Settlement House.

The "Marketview Heights" neighborhood of northeast Rochester where the houses are located continued to experience high rates of crime related to illegal drugs. In 1991 Leo Pendergast, the social worker administering the Emergency Housing program, read of a program in Dallas which encouraged Police Officers to live in the neighborhoods they were patrolling, and to run programs with the youth of the community. Tempro responded by acting as developer, and financing the rehabilitation of five two family houses, with the help of Chase Bank. The "Adopt a Cop" program guaranteed young police officers nearly free living for five years in exchange for 1,000 hours of community service working with youth. They chose to organize soccer teams.

In 1994 the County requested that we build six additional large houses. We built two on vacant lots on Central Park, and Lewis Street Center was able to increase their staff because of the added workload. Construction costs had skyrocketed by this time, and it was only with the cooperation of M and T Bank that acceptable mortgage financing was made available. After the first two were built the County of Monroe experienced a financial crisis, and the request for the four additional houses was cancelled. The other settlement houses were no longer called on to provide emergency housing, and the occupancy term for Tempro residents was reduced from two to three months, to four to six weeks. Tempro had been awarded McKinney Vento Homeless Housing Assistance funds from HUD to build these houses. HUD worked with us to allow us to use the grant funds for a different program, Transitional Supportive Housing for homeless families.

In 2004 the first formerly homeless women with children moved in to apartments in the Susan B Anthony Apartments, a former school located across the street from the First Street Recreation Center. To assist these women with their recovery from addictions or dependency or family violence or other issues that contributed to their becoming homeless, a full time social worker employed by Sojourner House has an office on-site and meets with the families weekly. At any one time 10-15 families are on their way to self sufficiency and financial independence.

In 2005 Tempro undertook a second HUD contract: Supportive Permanent Housing in a suburban garden apartment complex for eleven families where the head of household has a diagnosed disability, such as drug or alcohol dependency or a mental health issue. This project also has a full-time social worker from Sojourner House with an office and meeting room on-site, and with the use of a van provided by Tempro. The goal for these families are more basic: to become self sufficient and able to get and hold a job, while managing their disability. Children are coached weekly by volunteer tutors (and TBK volunteers are needed for this effort). The suburban school district has the resources to assist children who enter with a variety of challenges. In 2010 this ambitious program will double the number of participant families. The Suburban Housing Initiative is a first in Rochester, and one of only a few in the nation: helping severely handicaped families while also helping them to escape the culture of poverty in the central city. This was made possible by the conscientious efforts of Rabbi Lawrence Kotok who identified a congregant landlord to host the program.

Input is welcome. There are opportunities for collaboration and participation, and we are always looking for wisdom and new ideas. Members who are able to contribute by participating in committee activies are considered for three year terms on our Board of Directors. Please contact the Tempro president through email at TBKhomeless[at]gmail.com. or 473-8002.

Richard Rosen, President
January 2010