Goodwill, Rochester Area Community Foundation establish help desk at Hall of Justice

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Goodwill of the Finger Lakes and the 7th Judicial District have collaborated to establish the Community Connections Desk at the Monroe County Hall of Justice to connect individuals and families with on-site referrals to services they might need before or after court proceedings.

“Often, individuals working within the justice system are experiencing some form of crisis or trauma,” said Jennifer Lake, CEO of Goodwill of the Finger Lakes. “Being just outside the courtrooms allows our CCD staff to immediately connect these folks to the appropriate community agencies or services based on what they need at that moment.” 

The on-site help desk on the first floor of the Hall of Justice will be piloted for one year with a $74,000 grant from Rochester Area Community Foundation and Goodwill retail stores. It is staffed by a full-time community navigator employed by Goodwill and, occasionally, a volunteer from other human service organizations who can ensure people are directly connected to the correct agency. 

The initiative aligns with Goodwill’s experiences and successes with providing over-the-phone help through 211/LIFE LINE and the role it played during the pandemic to connect more than 500 tenants and landlords with emergency rent resources to prevent evictions. 

 The organization also has Neighborhood Navigation Centers that operate out of its stores in Greece, Webster and most recently in Canandaigua that provide similar services as the Hall of Justice CCD. 

The CCD is managed by Roxanne Henry, community navigator at Goodwill, and staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, except for holidays when the courthouse is closed. 

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