By Mary Beth Roach
From its Early Head Start/Head Start to its senior centers, PEACE, Inc. serves a wide cross-section of Onondaga County and at least one of its initiatives reaches into Oswego County.
“I think our impact is that we think about and try to serve the whole family and we do it within the neighborhoods that have the most need. I think they really don’t necessarily just see us as providing services, but they see us as members of their own community,” said Todd Goehle, the vice president of operations and strategy for PEACE, Inc.
A list of the agency’s programs and the statistics from its 2023-24 Annual Report show its reach.
The Early Head Start/Head Start is for children up to age 5, helping them get ready for kindergarten, their families and expectant families to promote learning and family health. Through its seven center-based locations in Syracuse, Baldwinsville, Lafayette and Liverpool, the program also provides breakfasts, lunches and snacks to the kids, and over the course of 2023-24, it served more than 178,000 meals.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program served 196 young people in Onondaga County and the Central Square School District in Oswego County.
Its Department of Energy and Housing Services operates New York State’s Weatherization Assistance Program in Onondaga and Oswego counties and through it, more than 150 housing units were taken care of last year.
As a member of the Central New York Ca$h Coalition and United Way of CNY project, PEACE, Inc. provides its year-round free tax preparation program for any household with income below $67,000.
PEACE, Inc. runs the Foster Grandparent Program for AmeriCorps, in which senior volunteers help young people who are facing social-emotional and academic challenges, according to its 2023-24 annual report. During that timeframe, 225 kids participated in the program and an overwhelming majority of the seniors say that have seen significant benefits to their emotional and physical well-being by taking part.
Its five family resource centers, in Syracuse, Baldwinsville and Tully, offer a variety of services to low-income residents, including family development and youth activities, emergency assistance, workforce development and food pantries to eligible residents and families. The agency also partners with other community organizations to provide help. More than 2,000 clients received services through the centers last year.
Its senior nutrition program prepares and delivers meals to more than 25 senior centers, where people can dine with others, providing them with more social interaction. More than 93,000 meals were prepared and distributed last year. The Senior Supports program helps eligible seniors who are homebound and isolated with tasks, enabling them to remain independent and in their homes.
Over the years, PEACE, Inc. has adapted its programs to respond to its clients’ needs, Goehle said, “by being in the locations of highest need and by finding ways to incorporate their thoughts, needs and desires into planning programs and even governance.”
As an example, Goehle pointed out a program started a couple of years ago within its Head Start and family services. Called Fatherhood with PEACE, Inc., the 12-week program was developed after hearing increasingly from male clients and it helps them enhance their parenting skills and strengthen bonds with their children.
The agency has seen a definite increase in need, Goehle said, which is being driven by inflation.
“We know that costs have increased with food, housing, heating. It does impact low-income families and individuals disproportionately because a larger part of their income is put towards food and put towards housing.”
To meet those needs moving forward, Goehle said, the agency wants to continue “to make sure that our staff and our programs reflect the communities that we serve according to their ideas, according to their cultures, to continue to be an anchor agency for the community and for many of the other nonprofits. No one agency can do this alone. And there’s a certainly high need throughout that community. So it’s really paramount that we find ways to solve issues and solve problems together.”
