Saint Catherine Center outlines services from new Ravena Permanency Resource Center satellite

Tiffany Carroll, program coordinator with Saint Catherine Center for Children, told the Ravena Village Board on Feb. 4 that the agency has opened a satellite Permanency Resource Center at 30 Main Street in Ravena to serve caregivers and families in the area.

Carroll said the Permanency Resource Center works with families who have custody, guardianship, kinship guardianship or who have adopted children, and that many of the families the center serves are grandparents raising grandchildren. “Our goal is to make sure that they have a safe, stable home and are getting all of the resources that they qualify for,” Carroll said.

The center offers caregiver education and peer support groups, children’s support groups, respite outings and funding assistance. Carroll described group and individual respite — outings such as trampoline parks, ice skating or group events — and said the program pays for those activities. “We pay for it. We cover it,” she said. She said the program can also help families access temporary assistance, SNAP benefits, health insurance and family court information when custody or guardianship documentation is not in place.

Carroll said the Permanency Resource Center serves Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties and that the kinship program specifically serves custody families while other Permanency Resource Center services include adoption and kinship (Kin Gap) supports. The program is grant-funded through the New York State Office of Children and Family Services; Carroll said the current grant term is five years and that she started the kinship program about four years ago before the new PRC satellite opened.

Referral and contact details: Carroll said residents, school staff or social workers can call or email her directly and that she had flyers and business cards to share with village staff. She identified the Ravena office location as “30 Main,” adjacent to the firehouse, and said the program will offer some evening and occasional Saturday hours to accommodate caregivers’ schedules.

Carroll also said the program offers a respite voucher that can provide caregivers up to $600 to spend on activities or paid sitters, and that the agency provides counseling or referral to counseling through its network. The PRC organizes family engagement events — Caroll described a virtual bingo night that awarded prizes to caregivers and children — and runs education sessions for adults alongside parallel, age-appropriate sessions for children.

At the meeting, representatives of the Ravena Host Company (the local firehouse organization) discussed possible collaboration such as tours and cadet or junior membership opportunities for youth that could pair with PRC outreach.

Carroll closed by asking board members and staff to post flyers and refer families; she said she had just received the keys to the Ravena office and welcomed contacts from local social workers who already had cases in the community.

The village board did not take any formal action on the presentation during the meeting; Carroll provided contact information and paper materials for follow-up.