FOCUS and PEACE, Inc. Release Whole Family Report
Meeting the Basic Needs of our Community
This 2025 report addresses how the basic needs of Central New Yorkers can be met through Whole Family Approaches. Such methods embrace multigenerational goalsetting and support for an entire household (i.e. children, parents, grandparents, and others) rather than its individual members.
The report’s findings stem from a Whole Family Summit organized by FOCUS and People’s Equal Action and Community Effort, Inc. (PEACE, Inc.) on 22 November 2024. Funded by the Central New York Community Foundation, the Summit embraced a grassroots approach that convened more than 80 frontline human/social service workers, community representatives, and family members. Inspired by national and local Whole Family experts, the Summit participants themselves shared important insights that are captured in the report, such as
- Providing greater bandwidth for overburdened families through accessible, trauma-sensitive services.
- Codesigning intergenerational support systems with the families themselves.
- Emphasizing “thriving rather than surviving” in goalsetting and planning.
- Championing Benefits “Slides” rather than “Cliffs.”
- Prioritizing transportation innovation in under-resourced neighborhoods.
To view a discussion about Whole Family approaches as well as the Whole Family Summit Report, watch the February 2025 FOCUS Forum: https://youtu.be/oD9aT_29zqI?si=jRN9zR8hExCZat0