St. Martin Center, Inc.

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Maleno Family-to-Family Fund

Social Services

St. Martin Center is able to provide emergency provisions to families and individuals. Emergency food is available through our in-house food pantry. Those receiving emergency food must fall within income eligibility guidelines determined by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. When funding allows, financial assistance is available for rent, mortgage and utilities; life-sustaining prescriptions; and transportation in the form of bus tokens and gasoline vouchers. Assistance can also be provided for completing Penelec’s Customer Assistance Program application. SMC caseworkers can also guide clients with creating and maintaining a budget and providing referrals to other programs within St. Martin Center like Nutrition Education or Housing Counseling, or to another local agency.

Our Social Service department also works in conjunction with the Erie County Cooperative Extension/Penn State University* to present a six week "SuperCupboard" course. The class, geared toward lower income families with children, teaches food preparation techniques and nutritious recipes. At each class, clients prepare a meal and then receive the raw materials to prepare it at home for their families. St. Martin Center provides lunch to participants, babysitter reimbursement and free transportation to those who would otherwise not be able to attend.

To contact a caseworker within the Social Services Department, call 814-452-6113.

*Pennsylvania State University is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of the workplace.

Housing Services

Housing counseling is provided to those who wish to improve their current conditions through home ownership opportunities. Our program is certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and our staff is trained by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA).

This comprehensive program provides pre- and post-purchase counseling, HEMAP (Homeowner’s Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program) application assistance, fair housing and predatory lending information and lead paint education, awareness and assessment of dangers.

Click this link to see a list of our 10 Steps to Homeownership:

/stmartincenter/Homeownership Steps.pdf

Click this link to see the various awards and recognitions that our housing department has earned:

Housing Awards and Recognitions

Click this link to see a list of our lenders:

/stmartincenter/Lender List 08-09.pdf

Another component of the housing department is the HOME Investment Partnership Program, which provides funding to first-time homebuyers interested in bringing a home to current building codes. To qualify for this program, the buyer and the home must fall into certain criteria. For more information, contact Veronica M. Hopkins at 452-6113 ext 207, or vhopkins@stmartincenter.org.

St. Martin Center is proud to work with the following partnering agencies:

Bayfront East Side Taskforce (BEST)

Bayfront NATO, Inc.

CATV

CHRB of Erie County

ECHRC

Erie City Redevelopment Authority

Erie Dawn

Greater Erie Board of Realtors (GEBOR)

Greater Erie Community Action Committee (GECAC)

Habitat for Humanity

Housing And Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS)

John F. Kennedy Center

Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network / Little Italy area

Zoey Meadows Homeownership Program

If you would like to reach the Housing Counseling Department for more information or to meet with a housing counselor, please call 814-452-6113 extension 207, 204, 223, 212, or 221.

St. Martin Early Learning Center

St. Martin Center Early Learning Center (SMELC), located at Lovell Place at East 13th and French Streets, provides care for children between the ages of six weeks and 5 years. The state-of-the-art facility also offers preschool curriculum, as well as before and after school care for children in Kindergarten through grade 3.

SMELC offers children field trips, two meals a day, an enclosed outdoor playground and so much more. The staff are compassionate and experienced.

St. Martin Center Early Learning Center is fully licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare. This ensures that staff ratios are maintained, that children are properly immunized and that the physical facilities meet all state guidelines. Childcare tuition assistance is available.

To enroll a child, or for more information, dial 814-454-1675.

Culinary Lab Program

The newest edition to the SMC family of valuable programs is the Culinary Lab Program. This program is designed to teach important kitchen and cooking skills to the unemployed, underemployed and other individuals looking for jobs in commercial kitchens.

After completion of the 12-week program, participants will be able to take a ServSafe Certification test and be placed in various restaurant jobs.

Our first round of graduates finished the course in March, and are currently on their way to being placed throughout the city.
To get a feel for what the program is all about, check out the photos in the photo gallery!

For more information, contact Rita A. Zawacki at 814-452-6113 x215 or rzawacki@stmartincenter.org.

St. Martin's Bishop's Breakfast Program

In an effort to alleviate some of the hunger in the area, St. Martin Center offers the Bishop's Breakfast Program weekday mornings at St. Paul's United Church of Christ (Peach Street between 10th and 11th Streets). A hot breakfast is served at 7am, and once a month our caseworkers go to St. Paul's to discuss the immediate needs of the men and women participating. Through this program, we have been able to provide clothing, toiletries, eyeglasses and laundry vouchers (thanks to Denny's Coin Laundry).

Thrift Stores

St. Martin Center has a thrift store that is stocked generously by donations from the community. Items such as clothing, household furnishings, books and toys are available at St. Martin Center's Thrift Store. Items are sold at little cost, but if necessary can be provided at no cost. The store is open to the public, Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 1:30 pm.

PA WORKWEAR

St. Martin Center's newest program is PA WORK WEAR. This program provides work clothing for men for interviews and the workforce. The program works on a referral basis. We are always seeking donations of gently used clothing to help the men on their way!

For more information about the Thrift Store call 814-452-6113 ext. 202 for the household store, or 205 for the clothing store. If you would like to donate items to either store, please drop them off during business hours or call to schedule a pick-up.