By Spectrum News Staff and Keegan Trunick 

There’s a new effort in Rochester to combat child poverty.

A series of hearings is being held on Nov. 5 and 12 with local childhood advocacy leaders. City officials say families need more help to meet basic needs like food, housing and after-school activities.

After the hearings, there are plans to hold youth session on Nov. 18 at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park. That session will give young people in Rochester the chance to share their ideas with officials and advocates.

“Too many children in Rochester have suffered from poverty for too long,” said City Council Vice President LaShay Harris, who chairs the People, Parks and Public Works Committee. “It is clear that the city of Rochester needs to do more to combat childhood poverty and find new and innovative solutions that help families afford basic needs like food, housing, tutoring, and extracurricular activities. With the People, Parks and Public Works Committee’s new approach, we can build and strengthen relationships that will be crucial to fighting childhood poverty in our city.”

City Council has also launched a new survey in collaboration with The Children’s Agenda to better understand the impact of childhood poverty. The survey, accessible here, will take input from city residents on the causes and solutions to childhood poverty to help inform an upcoming report by the People, Parks and Public Works Committee. The survey is also accessible in Spanish.

An open response page has also been launched to allow people and advocacy organizations the chance to offer long-form ideas on the causes and potential solutions to childhood poverty.