ISSUES

Circles of Mercy Focuses on Poverty, Quality of Life and Healthcare Issues.

Poverty: There is a profound need to continue to help women and women with children.  Many struggle to meet their basic needs each day in the City of Rensselaer:

• 2,642 people living 200% below the FPL (Federal Poverty Level).
• 995 (37.7%) are below 100% of the FPL.
• Rensselaer’s population is 7,786 persons and has 3,397 households.  
• Nearly 50% of the households are below the median household income of $34,730.
• Nearly 400 children ages 0 – 17 years live below the poverty level.
• There are 127 poverty level female households with no husband or significant other present.
• 89% of the total population of Rensselaer is white.
• The community has the 10th lowest per capita income in the 41 census tracts of Rensselaer County.

(Based US Census Bureau, 2000 Census Summary, File 3)

Quality of Life:

• Over 50% of the residents live in renter-occupied housing, federally subsidized housing or in private housing with Section 8 Assistance.
• There continues to be a shortage of low-income housing.
• The education in the Rensselaer City Schools is adequate public education.
• The high school graduation rate of about 80%.
• 25.2% of population over age 5 has some type of disability (physical / mental).
• 66% of the population is in the labor force.  The clients who are served by Circles of Mercy are the working poor.
• Many lack sufficient education or skills to obtain good employment with salaries and benefits enough to provide adequately for their families.
• Approximately 74% of clients are employed in low end jobs: fast food chains, big box stores, taxi drivers, child care workers, and part time nurses’ aids. They all earn minimum or just above minimum hourly wage.

Health Care:

• The largest medical provider in the City of Rensselaer is a primary health clinic run by St. Peter’s Hospital, which is also a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy.
• The hospital clinic services a high proportion of Medicaid patients.
• A percentage of the population is the “working poor”, who have an income not adequate enough to purchase any type of health insurance.
• The health clinic also provides medical care, treatments and medications to uninsured patients through the St. Peter’s “Mercy Charity Care” Program.
• Fidelis Health Care, a Medicaid and Medicare insurance program managed by the Catholic Dioceses of New York State, is also available to clients through the insurance registration and referral site services offered at Circles of Mercy.