Helping low-income families and the homeless since 1982, Part of the Solution (POTS) has grown from a small canteen to a leading provider of food, social services and legal representation in the Bronx. This is a great example of support and help for people and the desire to do good deeds despite difficult times. They help those who have almost given up hope for a better life. Discover more about the history and activities of POTS in this article. Read more on bronx1.one.
Background of the organization
It is not surprising that such a community appeared in the Bronx, as this area of New York has extremely negative indicators in the social sector. 24.4% of Bronx residents have incomes below the federal poverty level and about 25% of households experience a lack of food. The unemployment rate in the Bronx is 7.4%, which is 3% higher than the national indicator. Another pressing issue is high rents, which are leading to the highest rate of evictions in New York State. Last year, the Bronx had nearly 30,000 eviction cases filed.
Read an article about the rise of crime and contraband in the Bronx here.
The situation was even worse 40 years ago. In 1982, Reverend Ned Murphy, Timothy Boon and Jane Iannucelli created a community space and a small canteen.
The official opening date of POTS is January 6, 1982. Then, the first charity lunch on a cold winter day was organized. In its early days, most of POTS’ clients were homeless and there were many of them.
According to the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS), more than 15,600 Bronx residents are currently homeless and living in temporary shelters.
POTS Program Director, Jack Marth, who has led the organization since 2011, joined the organization while studying at Fordham University in 1982. He learned about POTS through the student group Committee Against Hunger and began volunteering in the canteen.
‘It was clear that we were literally living on paper’, Marth says. ‘There was no guarantee that the resources we needed the next day would arrive. Over time, POTS gradually began to build everything we needed to survive’.
Core comprehensive programs
Part of the Solution (POTS) is a nonprofit organization that aims to be a community support system, meeting the basic needs of everyone who seeks help. At POTS, every need is important, everyone who comes to POTS receives the attention they deserve and is treated with respect. The organization is a true community hub where residents, students, donors and volunteers come to work together.
POTS has three main programs:
- Food Security.
POTS’s main program is focused on ensuring food security. The facility operates a cafeteria where residents can receive hot meals. When the pandemic began, the organization switched to a takeout format to maintain social distancing. POTS also has a warehouse from which food packages are distributed to the most vulnerable segments of the Bronx population.
- Dignity and Wellness.
The second program focuses on dignity and wellness. Clients can use the POTS address to receive mail, which is especially important for people who are homeless or in unstable housing. This program provides showers and free hairdressing services once a week. POTS also partners with Care for the Homeless, which provides medical and dental care.
- Long-term Stability.
The third program focuses on long-term stability. This includes assistance from specialists in accessing various programs such as SNAP, insurance and social benefits. There is also a mentoring service that helps clients plan for their future and legal advice focused on preventing eviction and accessing social benefits.
The organization’s main goal is to bring people out of crisis into stability and provide them with the skills to successfully integrate into mainstream society.
Friends and partners
When Jack Marth recalls the entire journey that they had to go through with POTS, he especially highlights the difficult period of the 1990s and the significant financial support that the organization received from The New York Foundation at that time.
‘One of the biggest grants we received early on was for an AIDS education program, which was a huge step forward for us,’ Marth said.
The government was looking for organizations that could work with homeless people to teach them how to prevent the spread of HIV. Jack Marth wrote a letter telling about POTS and it won them their largest grant in history, about $250,000 a year. That support helped POTS stay afloat during the turbulent times of the 1990s.
Another important source of support for POTS was the Robin Hood Foundation. They not only helped financially but also provided advice on many organizational and structural issues, such as accepting the development of the system and management skills for the successful operation of the organization. After all, POTS was often staffed by volunteers and people without professional higher education. Thus, the right advice from experienced, smart people came in handy. POTS received great support from the Robin Hood Foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A long-time good friend and regular donor to POTS is also the Church of the Resurrection, which provides great financial and volunteer support. Every year on Thanksgiving and Christmas, POTS employees, together with church representatives, prepare festive dinners for the poor and homeless.
40 years of good deeds
In 2022, POTS celebrated its 40th anniversary in the Bronx. Today, POTS is one of the leading providers of emergency food and social services in the borough, helping tens of thousands of people. Here are some official statistics for 2024:
- 3,000,000 hot meals served
- 15,000 services provided on various issues
- $15,100,000 raised for community programs
- 150 people found formal employment
- 310 evictions were cancelled thanks to the work of POTS lawyers.
Let’s look at statistics from 2008 when the company first began collecting data on its services. At that time, it had met the social needs of 7,505 people and provided only 285,978 meals during the year.
In 2021, the organization actively supported the homeless during the pandemic, distributing free COVID-19 testing kits in collaboration with local hospitals.
Tina Rodriguez, a current POTS employee, first turned to the organization for help as a child when her family was struggling. Little Tina was 11 years old. Her mother suffered from mental illness and drug addiction.
‘We were struggling with food shortages at home’, Rodriguez says. ‘Someone suggested this little place on Webster Avenue that you could come to if you were hungry’.
Tina has been working at POTS ever since, helping people like her find a way out of difficult life situations.
About 400 guests gathered at the Westchester Country Club to celebrate POTS’ 40th anniversary. There were also charitable events and initiatives. The organization’s fund was replenished by $700,000 that evening. The Heart of Gold Award was presented to longtime POTS friends and philanthropists Mark and Mary Miller.
The organization is currently renovating its Webster Avenue location and has already signed a new lease for an adjacent 10,000-square-foot facility, which will greatly expand their capabilities and introduce new programs.
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