Contact: Sunny Mindel/Samantha I. Lugo (212) 788-2958
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today joined Jean Howard, Executive Director of Wilson Commencement Park (WCP), to tour the Rochester, New York residential complex and meet with residents and staff. The facility provides an array of services to help transition people from welfare to work, or to overcome problems such as substance abuse and domestic violence.
"Participants in the WCP's program come to realize that there is a tremendous sense of satisfaction in knowing that you're taking care of yourself and your family, with that satisfaction comes a sense of personal dignity that is truly priceless," Mayor Giuliani said. "We set out to restore work to the center of the New York City culture. After all, that's what made New York City great, what made it the Capital of the World. And today, the philosophy of welfare in New York City is now a philosophy of temporary assistance emphasizing work and self-sufficiency."
The Mayor added, "We have helped almost half a million people get off welfare and begin to take care of themselves and their families. That's a 42.7% decline, putting the City's welfare rolls at their lowest level since July 1967. And, what's even better news, a recent study indicates that most of the people leaving the rolls are working."
"Programs like the one offered by WCP empower people to abandon the culture of dependency and reintegrate into society as productive citizens. I am proud to see your accomplishments and encouraged that we will be able to help even more people to lead fulfilling, independent lives," the Mayor concluded. WCP provides mentoring, training and other services to people who live outside the Park, in the surrounding area. Roughly 1,800 people per year are served in this manner.
WCP is a private, non-profit group that originated as part of the Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation (founded by Joseph Wilson, former Chairman of Xerox). The Foundation got the idea for WCP from a project called Warren Village in Colorado, which was founded in 1974. After seven years of planning and preparation, WCP opened in 1991.