H.O.P.E. ADVOCACY

Help and Opportunity for Personal Empowerment

 The Prince of Peace Center’s H.O.P.E. Advocacy Program was implemented in August 1996 in response to the chronic use of emergency services at the center, by young, single, low-income mothers. These crisis situations generally involved repeated evictions or homelessness, utility terminations, lack of food and basic household items, or Children and Youth Services involvement. The Center came to realize emergency services were a short-term solution to a long-term problem. The Center recognized the need for a holistic approach to overcoming poverty to improve the quality of life for the low-income families it was serving. To be successful, this approach needed to include long-term commitment from a supportive, caring mentor, parental education, and skill building opportunities. The program has served 174 families including 314 children, providing 18-24 months of intensive individual family case management, in-home visitation, one-on-one skill building opportunities, monthly support groups/ life skills education activities, and special parenting workshops that included research-based programs such as Creating Lasting Family Connections and the Strengthening Families Program.

In 1999 the H.O.P.E. Advocacy Program was recognized as a new and innovative approach to preventing child abuse and neglect by the Pennsylvania Children’s Trust Fund and awarded a three year grant. The following year, and continuing to present, the program was recognized for its results oriented programming and sponsored in part by the United Way of Mercer County. Since 2002 it has been a collaborating partner in the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Weed and Seed Initiative, primarily for its focus on strengthening families and improving their self-reliance. In August 2006 The H.O.P.E. Advocacy Program celebrated 10 years of service to low-income single parent families in Mercer County.

Support groups/ life skills education and workshops utilizing community partnerships for 2007 include: Social Class/ Life Maps (two exercises in interpersonal skill development presented by family case managers), a three-week basic computer class (Minority Health Center/ Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission (MCBHC)), the two-day Women’s Journey workshop (Neighborhood Based Family Intervention Center), the evidence based Strengthening Families Program (Penn State Cooperative Extension), Parent to Parent (MCBHC), Values Clarification (family case managers), Stranger Safety/ Internet Safety (Safe Side Program), Emotional Well being (Paoletta Psychological Association), the evidence based Creating Lasting Family Connections Program (MCBHC), and Women’s Health (Sharon Regional Health System).

Four activities that provide the opportunity for increased positive family interaction include a family field trip (Wagon Trails Animal Park), a family cookout at Buhl Farm Park (Hermitage Police Departments will provide child identification kits and D.A.R.E. substance abuse prevention education), Thanksgiving Traditions/ Family Bonding (Catholic Charities Counseling and Adoption Agency), and a Christmas party that includes baking homemade Christmas cookies, crafts with the children, family pictures with Santa, and Christmas gifts for all.

We are all called by Christ to feed the hungry, and Prince of Peace Center does exactly that through its food program. As part of the program, the Center provides food for the needy through several major services: a monthly food distribution day, delivery of food bags to senior citizens, and provision of emergency food bags to those in urgent need.

The food distribution day for families from across the Shenango Valley is held on the third Wednesday of every month. From 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., more than 400 members of low-income households come to the Center, where they receive groceries that augment their personal food supplies.

The grocery items, which range from canned fruits and vegetables to cereals and sweets, are donated by nearby supermarkets, stocked in the Center's food pantry, and distributed by volunteer workers. In 2004, this program provided 1201 local families with more than 22,700 bags of groceries.

This food distribution program is part of the Mercer County Food Pantry network. Those families who receive food through this program have demonstrated financial need and are not eligible to receive food at any of the other distribution centers in the county, which include the Community Food Warehouse in Farrell and the Salvation Army in Sharon.

Once a month, the Center also delivers food bags to nearly 300 people residing in eight senior citizen living centers throughout the Valley.

In addition, every day the Center distributes emergency food bags to those who are in need of immediate assistance.