Schoharie Catholic agency meets needs of rural area

Although the lanes of rural Schoharie County appear tranquil, the social service needs of its folks are similar to those of people who live along the streets of urban areas.

"The needs are the same," said Tom Mayer, executive director of Catholic Family and Community Services of Schoharie County, a Catholic Charities agency based in Cobleskill. "What makes it different in rural areas is transportation. People are scattered. You can't just hop on a bus."

The agency, founded in 1978, offers such services as assistance to victims of domestic violence; aid for runaway, throw-away, and homeless youth; counseling for Vietnam Veterans; individual and group counseling; alternatives to incarceration; and a food pantry. Recently, the agency hired a part-time parish social ministry coordinator.

Focus on family

Often, families need the services provided by the agency when a child is having a problem. The agency offers the only not-for-profit counseling services for youth in Schoharie County. Prior to starting the counseling program, help was available only to the mentally ill or through private practices, which can be expensive. The program is funded by a sliding fee scale and diocesan Catholic Charities.

Potential runaways or youthful offenders are often referred to the agency; but rather than just treating the teen, the agency takes a holistic approach.

"You can't just counsel the kid," Mr. Mayer said. "You need to work with the family."

Youth at risk

Stacey Betts, the youth worker in the runaway/homeless youth program, said the agency sees many young people at risk of running away. The services provided by the agency "help them solve problems at home," she said.

More often, though, the agency sees young people on the street because they're no longer wanted.

"The big thing we're seeing is the throw-away," Mrs. Betts said. "They are kicked out of the house. Their parents don't want to deal with them anymore. The parents don't care where they go and change the locks and phone number."

Care and security

Catholic Family and Community Services finds the young people a secure home to live in, helps them get financial support from their parents (families are legally responsible for paying support until the child is 21 in cases like this), and provides counseling as well as respite activities.

"If you catch them in time," Mrs. Betts said, "with the right counseling they can turn around. A lot of the younger kids have seen more than I have."

Often, the youth the agency sees aren't what they'd expect. "We've had honor students come in," she explained. "Not all of them are tough kids."

"Our youth problems are no different" from those of the cities, Mr. Mayer said. "Things get to rural areas slowly. We're less concerned about physical assault or guns in school. That doesn't mean it's not coming."

Challenges

While the social problems facing this rural area are similar to those in cities, there are challenges to providing services. Besides the transportation problems, which can make it difficult to get to service providers, there are barriers that can prevent a person from seeking help in the first place. For example, many people are concerned that neighbors may find out.

"Some don't come for services because then their neighbors might know," he explained. "There's also an old-fashioned pride where they can't ask for help. Going on their own is looked upon as a virtue."

Family therapist Maia Betts (no relation to Stacy) agrees that the barriers exist and said they can come into play especially when someone is seeking counseling services. "People are more recognized in small towns," she said. "You can be recognized in the waiting room or join a group and see a neighbor."

Community support

While there are challenges to providing services, Mr. Mayer reports that the agency has the support of the community. The agency works with other groups to meet the needs of the county's population.

For example, several groups, including Family and Community Services, had food pantries open daily to serve the community. The organizations now operate their pantries on specific days so services are not duplicated.

"There is a tremendously cooperative spirit," Mr. Mayer said of the human service agencies in the county.

Parish program

That cooperative spirit can be seen in Catholic Family and Community Services' parish social ministry program as well. Coordinator Ron Lower works with churches of all denominations in the county to identify social ministry needs and empower the people to meet those needs.

Some of the things he has done include producing a resource booklet for the churches to point parishioners in the right direction of services, coordinating a meeting on the impact of welfare reform on county residents, and compiling a list of resource people who can speak to churches about social ministry needs and issues.

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