
COVID-19 Financial Resources
Loss of Employment
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Essential businesses in the Rochester Area hiring: https://jobboard.rochesterworks.org/index.php
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Complete applications for public benefits:
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Unemployment: https://www.ny.gov/services/get-unemployment-assistance or call 1-888-209-8124
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NYS is waiving the 7-day waiting period for unemployment insurance benefits for people who are out of work due to Coronavirus closures or quarantines
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Applies for furloughed employees, freelance workers and self-employed individuals who do not typically qualify for unemployment benefits
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The federal government provides an additional $600 per week plus an extra 4 months of unemployment benefits paid through NY State
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Health Insurance: https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/
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Create an Emergency Spending Budget
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Meet with a Rochester Financial Empowerment Center counselor to create an emergency budget for the coming months. Call 585-25-7110 to set up an appointment.
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Economic Impact Payment/ Stimulus Checks
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DEADLINE FOR DIRECT DEPOSITS: The IRS has announced that the deadline to submit and update bank account information to receive stimulus payments directly to bank accounts is Wednesday, May 13. Any individual without banking information on file with the IRS after May 13 will receive their stimulus payment in the form of a paper check through the mail.
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Tax Filers: Check on the status of your Economic Impact Payment online
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Non-Filers: If you don’t file taxes, use the "Non-Filers: Enter Your Payment Info Here" application to provide simple information so you can get your payment
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Don't already have a bank account? Open a Bank Account Online: The national BankOn coalition has identified accounts that are Safe & Affordable*
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Frequently Asked Questions: The City of Rochester has released a FAQ to provide reliable information to community members.
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For additional information visit: www.irs.gov/coronavirus
Assistance with Bills & Loans
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General Bills/ Loans: If you are anticipating having trouble paying bills or loans on time then reach out early to lenders and creditors
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RG&E: suspended late fees, deposits for new accounts, and disconnections for non-payment
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Spectrum: waived late fees and will not terminate service for 60 days
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Credit Cards: Many major credit card companies have put new procedures in place to assist those who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact your provider and see what procedures they have put in place to assist you.
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Student Loans: If you are unable to make payments on your student loans then you may qualify for a delayed or reduced payment program:
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New York State is temporarily halting collection of student loan and medical debt referred to the Office of the Attorney General for collection until June 16, 2020. This applies to people who have debt owed to the state, such as to SUNY campuses.
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Interest will not accrue and fees won’t be collected while the collection of debt is suspended
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The Attorney General’s Office will also accept applications for a suspension of all other types of debt owed to the state. The application can be found at: ag.ny.gov/covid-19-debt-suspension-applicationor call 1-800-771-7755
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Federal student loan payments suspended through September 30, 2020 and interest will not accrue during this time. Click here for more information.
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For private student loans, call your loan servicer to ask about relief options if you are experiencing financial hardship. In NY, you can expect payments to be deferred for
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Home Mortgage: All New York State regulated financial institutions are required to provide 90-day mortgage forbearance for individuals experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact your loan provider for more information on how to apply for forbearance.
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If you have been denied forbearance, and believe your application was wrongly denied you may file a complaint with the New York State Department of Financial Services at 1-800-342-3736 or http://dfs.ny.gov
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Residents of the Rochester Housing Authority (RHA)-owned public housing and are participating in Section 8 programs whose income has been affected by Coronavirus/COVID-19 may apply to have their rent payments temporarily reduced by up to 100 percent.
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Those who are currently enrolled in public housing or rental assistance programs through RHA can submit a change of income request form, more information found here: https://www.rochesterhousing.org/rha-participant-renewal-process
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NEW! Eviction and Homelessness Prevention Programs being offered by the City of Rochester:
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Eviction and Homelessness Prevention:
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Rental assistance is available through Catholic Family Center thanks to the support of the City of Rochester, Mayor Lovely Warren and City Council. To qualify you must meet the requirements listed below:
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You are a renter;
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You have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic;
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You are in immediate danger of eviction, homelessness, loss of housing, or utility shut off; and,
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You have household income at or below:
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Persons in Household - Maximum Income:
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1 - 42,800;
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2 - 48,900;
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3 - 55,000;
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4 - 61,100;
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5 - 66,000;
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6 - 70,900;
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7 - 75,800;
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8 - 80,700.
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To learn more, see the press release here or contact the Call Catholic Family Center’s Rent Assistance call center at 585.232.2050.
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Legal Assistance:
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The “Right to Counsel” pilot program will provide free legal assistance to all renters facing evictions proceedings in the courts, as well as a telephone hotline providing free legal counsel for eviction-related questions. To learn more, contact Volunteer Legal Services Project at 585.232.3051 or vlsprochester.org/apply-online.
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Landlord Reimbursement Grant Program:
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The City is also seeking landlords interested in applying for grants to make minor repairs to vacant rental units so the units can be added to the city’s inventory of affordable housing units as quickly as possible. The City has set aside $300,000 for the program and expects to support about 150 units.
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Applications for the grant can be found at: cityofrochester.gov/HomeRepairGrants
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Assistance Filing Taxes
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The NYS tax filing deadline and IRS Federal tax filing deadlines have been pushed to July 15, 2020. All taxes owed to NYS and the IRS will need to be paid by this date as well.
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File your taxes for free on H&R Block thanks to United Way: Myfreetaxes.com
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If you are unable to file, request an extension: https://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/file/ext.htm
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Consumer Protection from Fraud
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Emergencies are the ideal times for scammers to take advantage of consumers. Be cautious about who you provide financial information to.
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Rochester FEC counselors are equipped to provide assistance in avoiding and recovering from consumer fraud.
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Counselors can file a consumer fraud complaint with the New York State Attorney General's Office: https://ag.ny.gov/consumer-frauds/Filing-a-Consumer-Complaint
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Counselors can file complaints about coronavirus fraud: https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus
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For more information about avoiding fraud go to the following websites:
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Federal Trade Commission tips to protect you from coronavirus scams: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/02/coronavirus-scammers-follow-headlines
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FTC & Food and Drug Administration warning about scam coronavirus treatments: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/03/ftc-fda-warnings-sent-sellers-scam-coronavirus-treatments
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Small Business Resources
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Small Business Grants
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U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is issuing low-interest Economic Injury Disaster Loans for businesses impacted by the coronavirus: https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/
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Kiva Rochester provides crowdfunded business loans of $1,000-$15,000 at 0% interest, no fees, and a six-month grace period: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/Kiva/
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The City of Rochester Business Assistance Programs provides Business Development Financial Assistance Program Loans and Grants to assist with financing equipment, working capital and/or renovations: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/businessResources/
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Small Business Coaching & Technical Support
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The City of Rochester Mayor's Office of Community Wealth Building offers free one-on-one professional business coaching and technical assistance for small business owners or individuals who would like to start their own small business. For more information email: WealthBuilding@CityofRochester.gov
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Information from New York State for Business Owners
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New York State has created a comprehensive FAQ page to help business owners navigate these unprecedented times: https://esd.ny.gov/novel-coronavirus-faq-businesses
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Start Up Resources https://www.score.org/resource/list-startup-resources
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Grants for Minority-Owned Businesses https://suppliedshop.com/blogs/articles/minority-small-business-grants
Additional Resources
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City of Rochester State of Emergency Statement & Information: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=21474843914
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau- financial protection: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/protect-yourself-financially-from-impact-of-coronavirus/
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Foodlink & RCSD Meal Distribution for school-aged children: https://foodlinkny.org/rochester-meal-distribution-sites-for-school-age-children/
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Foodlink Emergency Food Supply Boxes: https://foodlinkny.org/where-to-find-foodlinks-emergency-food-supply-boxes/
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Monroe Area Food Cupboards: https://roccitylibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/MONROE-COUNTY-AREA-FOOD-CUPBOARDS.pdf
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Monroe County Department of Human Services COVID-19 Resources: https://www2.monroecounty.gov/hs-COVID-19
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Monroe County Department of Public Health COVID-19 Resources: https://www2.monroecounty.gov/health-COVID-19
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National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Rochester: https://www.nami.org/getattachment/About-NAMI/NAMI-News/2020/NAMI-Updates-on-the-Coronavirus/COVID-19-Updated-Guide-1.pdf
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Spectrum- offering free Wi-Fi to those affected by COVID-19: https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/coronavirus-internet-offer-students/
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University of Rochester Medical Center- Coping with COVID-19 Resources: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/behavioral-health-partners/coping-with-covid-19.aspx
Financial Empowerment Resources
Employment Support
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Catholic Family Center Employment Skills Services: https://www.cfcrochester.org/our-services/serving-rochester/employment-skills/
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City of Rochester Mayor’s Office of Community Wealth Building: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/wealthbuilding/
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Foodlink Career Empowerment Initiative: https://foodlinkny.org/fight_hunger/programs-initiatives/#tab-7
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Rochester Works: https://www.rochesterworks.org/
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Rochester Educational Opportunities Center: https://reoc.brockport.edu/
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RCSD Office of Adult & Career Education Services (OACES): https://oaces.net/
Buying a Home
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RHA Home Ownership Program: https://www.rochesterhousing.org/home-ownership-program
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City of Rochester Home Purchase Assistance Program: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/homebuyer/
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City of Rochester Employer Assisted Housing Initiative: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/employerassisted.aspx
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Neighbor Works Introduction to Homebuying: https://nwcprochester.org/home-buying-rochester-ny/introduction-to-home-buying/
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State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA): https://hcr.ny.gov/sonyma-programs
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Federal Home Loan Bank- Homebuyer Dream Program: https://www.fhlbny.com/community/housing-programs/hdp/
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FHA Lenders in Rochester:
Small Business Start-up Services
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U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has developed Lender Match, a free online referral tool that connects small businesses with participating SBA-approved lenders within 48 hours.
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The City of Rochester Business Assistance Programs provides Small Business Matching Grants to assist with Advertising, Signage, FF&E and Security Equipment.
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The City of Rochester Business Assistance Programs provides Business Development Financial Assistance Program Loans and Grants to assist with financing equipment, working capital and/or renovations.
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Kiva Rochester provides crowdfunded business loans of $1,000-$15,000 at 0% interest, no fees, and a six-month grace period.
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Rochester Economic Development Corporation (REDCO) Business Assistance Programs offer revolving loan funds to assist with equipment, working capital and/or renovations.
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The Philip J. Banks Program, offered through REDCO, provides grants and loans towards equipment, working capital and/or renovations.
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The Greater Rochester SCORE program is continuing to offer small business mentoring and educational opportunities to businesses of the greater Rochester area.
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WeFunder provides crowdfunded business loans to small businesses and start-ups and charges 7.5% of the funds raised (businesses will only be charged if they raise funds).
Financial Institutions
Personal Loans
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Advantage FCU: APR 10%-12.5%
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Citizens Bank: no fees, no collateral needed, APR 6.8%-21%
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ESL Federal Credit Union: varying low late fees, APR 8%-10%
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Fairport Savings Bank: loan secured by primary residence, APR 11.5%-12%
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Five-Star Bank: information not available on the website
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Genesee Co-op Federal Credit Union: unsecured and secured loans available, APR varies
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Genesee Regional Bank: unsecured and secured loans available, APR 4%-1-.25%
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KeyBank: unsecured and secured loans available, APR 7.74%- 17.24%
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Lexington Ave Federal Credit Union: unsecured and secured loans available, APR 8%-10%
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M&T Bank: unsecured and cash-secured loans available, APR 3%-13%
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Summit Federal Credit Union: APR 7%-7.25%
Safe & Affordable Checking Accounts*
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Bank of America- SafeBalance
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Chase Bank- Secure Banking Account
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Citibank- Access Account
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Five-Star Bank- Progress Checking
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KeyBank- Hassle-Free Account
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M&T Bank- MyWay Checking
*"Safe & Affordable" accounts have been identified based on BankOn Account Standards
Consumer Protection
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/policy-compliance/guidance/
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File a consumer fraud complaint with the New York State Attorney General’s office
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The Division of Consumer Protection Scam Alerts & Consumer Tips
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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Consumer Protection Information & Resources
Additional Resources
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National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
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Catholic Family Center Rochester
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Bridges to Success (Self-sufficiency coaching)
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Emergency Services (Shelter, food, etc.)
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Family Services (kinship programs, adoption & foster services, sexual abuse crisis intervention, etc.)
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