Adult Mentoring Pilot Program Results

Rochester, NY… In February, we announced the results of our two Adult Mentoring pilot programs, Family Independence Initiative and Bridges to Success. Both were shown to increase employment, income, and other key enablers to economic mobility.

This unprecedented collaboration among a trio of local agencies helped nearly 150 participants, many of them heads of families, move toward self-sufficiency by partnering individuals and families with dedicated mentors who help address and overcome barriers to employment.

Catholic Family Center, Action for a Better Community, and Community Place of Greater Rochester came together to lead a two-year pilot of a pair of adult mentoring programs. Bridges to Success paired individuals with a mentor to identify goals and overcome roadblocks to employment and the Family Independence Initiative helped families create social support networks that helped move them toward their financial goals.

These programs are in the final stages of a two-year pilot period; not only were services provided, but the impact was measured and tracked against national averages. Additionally, Bridges to Success was run as a “randomized control trial”, undergoing in-depth analysis by social science researchers from the University of Notre Dame. Both programs show significant progress in moving individuals toward self-sufficiency.

Key results include:

• 80.6 percent of participants in the Bridges to Success program advanced from “crisis” or “at-risk” to “stable” in at least one major area (e.g., housing, health, education, employment)
• The average household income for Bridges to Success participants increased by 107.5 percent.
• The average number of Family Independence Initiative participants employed increased by 24.4 percent.

We are currently enrolling our next cohort. If you or someone you know may benefit from Bridges to Success, please visit our Bridges to Success website to learn more.

About Catholic Family Center: Catholic Family Center (CFC) is Greater Rochester’s largest provider of comprehensive family services. Each year we assist tens of thousands of our neighbors, relatives and friends as they work to remain or become healthy, productive, participating members of our community. We serve all people—regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, age, ability or gender. Our programs work together to address the many issues of human need across all stages of life.