Education, Training & Community:  Background

Nicole Johnson
Education, Training &
Community Services,
Division Manager

njohnson@gecac.org

Adhering to GECAC's mission, the Education, Training and Community Services Division (ETCS), promotes opportunities through education, training, and self-sufficiency services.  This division is committed to a holistic approach to strengthen the capacity of the family to care for itself and its children.  ETCS provides intensive case management to encourage economic independence as well as a network of services that includes:  educational and vocational counseling, adult and early childhood education, weatherization, housing, energy assistance, transportation and food services.

Education, Training & Community:  List Of Services

Debt & Delinquency 

The HUD local housing Counseling program provides default delinquency counseling to households seeking to improve their rental situations and to those who are behind in mortgage payments (as early as one month behind).  The program provides a combination of financial literacy classes and one-on-one counseling to assist families to develop measurable goals designed to help with the process of credit repair and increase their financial base.  

Family Savings Account

Offers a dollar-for-dollar match up to $2,000 for savers whose income is at or below 200% of the HSS poverty level

Refugee Family Savings - Same as Family Savings, but clients must possess an I-94 or Green Card to be eligible.  Allowed to save up to $2,000 and can participate for up to 3 years. 

Financial Education and Counseling Program

Realizing the American Dream

GECAC's Financial Education and Counseling Program is designed to promote responsible home ownership for low income individuals. The Financial Education and Counseling Program is one of three pilot programs awarded in the county by the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.  It is designed to promote financial education through saving, one to one counseling and group education.  Given the recent events in the housing and banking markets GECAC recognizes the need for financial education now more than ever.  A HUD Housing and Urban Development study has shown that individual who receive pre-purchase counseling are less likely to lose their homes to foreclosure.  Have you ever dreamed of owning your own home but did not feel you would qualify because poor financial choices which caused you to have bad financial credit?  During the course of our program you would be actively working with a financial counselor to develop and use a budget and work on improving your credit score.  You would be attending pre-purchase home buying classes to help you learn and understand the home buying process.  And you would be putting money into a savings account every month, so at the end of the two year program you would have the knowledge, credit score and down payment to purchase a home.

The program has one to one monthly mentoring so that you have the backup needed to get on your financial feet and the education to give you the knowledge you need to succeed.  We are looking for individuals who have the drive and ambition to work and save money for a goal.  I know it is not easy to save when you barely have enough to live on but the people we are looking for believe that in the end the goal is worth the sacrifice.  Participants in this program will be required to start a weekly or monthly savings program in a participating bank or credit union, with the goal of saving $2000 within 2 years.  When the participant demonstrates that he/she is able to pursue a continuing savings program for the targeted amount and completes the education requirements, GECAC will match up to 200% of the savings toward the down payment on the home.  That would give the prospective homebuyer $6,000 for a down payment.

Call Stephanie Long at 459-4581 ext 595 or Sal Parco at 459-4581 ext 538, they will mail you an application.  Once the application is completed you will meet with the case manager to review your income and make sure you qualify.  You have to be low income (see chart below) and be a first time home buyer.  You will also have to meet with the credit counselor who will pull your credit report and review their financial situation.  We only have 50 slots for this program so competition will be tough. 

Food Services

Meals are prepared at four kitchen sites in Erie City and County and delivered to serving sites or clients homes for GECAC and other community agencies on a fee for service basis.  Meals are delivered in bulk quantities by GECAC Transportation Services to GECAC Senior Centers for AAA Congregate Meal Programs and to GECAC Head Start centers and several child care centers.  Individually packed meals are delivered from each kitchen by Meals-On-Wheels volunteers to client homes for the AAA Home Delivered Meal Program. 

Money Works For You

This program is designed to improve the financial education and fitness of low income families in Erie County.  The four (4) primary goals are to:  

- Increase the financial literacy of low-income working families. 

- Increase the number of low-income working families who have a banking relationship. 

- Improve the condition of low-income working families

- Improve the knowledge base and skill level of Agency staff the work with low-income working families.

Section 8 Family Self-Sufficiency

Works with the Erie Housing Authority Section 8 clients to increase self-sufficiency.  As clients self-sufficiency increases, the Erie Housing Authority creates an escrow account for the resident to be used to improve their standard of living.  This escrow account can be rolled over into a Family Savings Account to be used toward the purchase of a home. 

Talent Search

Educational Talent Search

This federally funded TRIO program identifies students in grades 6-12, with the potential for education beyond high school, encourages and assists them in graduation from high school and helps them to enroll into institutions of higher education.  Participants must meet eligibility requirements, including the 150% poverty guideline. 

The College Access Program

This program is sponsored by the Greater Erie Community Action Committee (GECAC).  The program is funded by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) based in Washington D.C., through a grant from General Electric (GE).  The goal of the program is to provide academic assistance and career advisement to 75 East High School students in the 9th grade so that all participants will be successful in planning for college, enrolling in college, and completing college successfully.  Once participants graduate from college, the ultimate program outcome is for the participants to enter a career field which is both rewarding and meaningful. 

Upward Bound

Upward Bound

This federally funded TRIO program is designed to provide an opportunity for eligible high school students in grades 9-12 to succeed in their overall pre-college performance.  The program is designed to assist students to enroll in and graduate from a four-year post secondary institution.  Instructional and tutorial services are provided in core high school subjects - composition/literature, foreign language, mathematics, and science.  Participants must meet eligibility requirements including the 150% poverty guideline.