CGR Briefs

Defining Rochester’s Role in Workforce Development: A Four-Part Framework

What is the role of a city in promoting an effective workforce development system? This was the question CGR addressed in a recent study for the City of Rochester.

Charting the Future: Strategic Planning with the Urban League of Rochester

Engaged by the Urban League of Rochester (ULR) to assist with the development of a strategic plan, CGR used a combination of methods to gather and synthesize input from various stakeholders and worked with leaders to craft priorities, goals and measures.

CGR Supports Child Advocacy Center with Data Analysis

The Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester has been providing services for over 20 years, supporting children and families, working to prevent child abuse and neglect, and helping to provide education, healing and intervention on behalf of children. There are approximately 1,000 Child Advocacy Centers across the country. The CAC of Greater Rochester provides intervention services primarily in Monroe County, and the CAC Prevention Education programming covers Monroe and surrounding counties.

Is a Sustainable Business Roundtable Right for Monroe County?

CGR is working with Monroe County, NY to assess the feasibility of a Sustainable Business Roundtable. Right now, many local organizations are addressing sustainable business practices on their own. Sustainability is about implementing business practices that use resources wisely to minimize environmental impact and waste, improve workforce well-being, improve operational resiliency, and strengthen a business’s bottom line. There is no one size fits all approach.

CGR Co-led Participatory Evaluation with Parent Leaders

CGR worked with parent leaders to complete an evaluation of the Whole Child Initiative (WCI), a project of ROC the Future Alliance aimed at transforming systems to better serve Rochester's families of color. This evaluation used a community-based participatory research approach led by Parent/Family Partners (PFPs) with CGR providing evaluation capacity building, including technical assistance and coaching, and conducting evaluation activities in partnership with PFPs.

The Future of Fire Services: Addressing the Volunteer and Staffing Crisis

Fire departments in the Northeast are increasingly challenged by declining volunteer numbers, outdated governance models, and budget constraints coupled with rising equipment costs.

Rochester Anti-Poverty Initiative Notes 21% Decline

Poverty in Rochester has declined since the establishment of the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative, from 34% in 2014 to 27% in 2023. Comparable cities in New York State have also seen declines, but Rochester’s 21% decrease topped both Buffalo (13%) and Syracuse (15%).

Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) Community Vitality Study Project Announcement

Supplying more than 1 billion gallons of drinking water daily to almost 9 million people in New York City is the difficult task undertaken by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP). NYC’s high quality of water could not exist without the immense scale and complexity of its infrastructure, underpinned by an impressive political and social contract between urban NYC residents and rural upstate residents.

Reaching Diverse Constituencies in Local Government

High-performing local governments strive to engage all residents to ensure policies, services and decisions reflect their needs, perspectives, and values. This can become more challenging as diversity grows and existing mechanisms might not be effective. CGR has been engaged to help a fast-growing town in Massachusetts evaluate and improve its community engagement practices.

The Future of Fire Service Rosendale, NY

In the heart of the Hudson Valley, the Town of Rosendale, NY, relies on five independent fire districts. These all-volunteer departments answer the call to action an average of 20 times each month. However, these departments face a gauntlet of challenges: escalating call volumes, soaring costs, a decline in volunteer numbers, and the ever-increasing demands of modern firefighting training.

Addressing EMS Challenges in Essex County NY

Seven years ago, CGR helped Essex County develop a strategic plan for their EMS system. Since then, Essex County EMS has made significant strides, including creating a fly-car and staff leasing model, a new dispatch program, paramedic and EMT education programs, a county-wide ambulance authority, and increased funding. Most ambulance services in the county now have paid staff, addressing prompt response concerns. EMS funding totals $6.8 million annually, drawn from towns, villages, fire districts, and the county.

Evaluating the Rochester Peace Collective

CGR was selected to evaluate the progress and impact of about two dozen programs funded under the City of Rochester’s Peace Collective. We and our partner, Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Public Safety Initiatives, will use both quantitative data from Key Performance Indicators and qualitative information from program leaders, staff, and participants to explore what has worked well, what can be improved, and how efforts can be sustained to prevent violence, reduce crime and support youth and adults.