Overview

This resource map is for youth, families, and service providers who live or work in Erie County. We have provided it to help you find existing programs and assist you in your community. In the box labeled “Keyword Search,” you can search for any type of activity, service, or program you need. For example, our favorite search term is free. So, you can find the programs and services that are available at no cost in your community. You can also search for any other term in that box, such as art.

Searching by Resource

Using the button labeled “Resource Type,” you can limit what you’re searching for based on a certain category. For example, limiting the resource type to “recreation” would allow you to put the word “girls” in the keyword search box, which would give you all the programming for girls at recreation centers that the asset map is aware of.

Center the Map Around Your Home, Office or other location

In the box titled, “Your Address,” you can input your home address and have the map centered on your home. Then, you can see all the resources that are in your neighborhood.

We do not collect or store your address information; so, you don’t have to worry about what you enter in that box. We do not track what people enter in that box.

Displaying the Resource Information and Directions on How to Get There

Once you have a map with various icons on it, you can click on the icon and get a pop up box with the name and contact info of this resource. In addition, you can get directions to and from this location. Finally, if you click on the blue resource name you will be directed to a page with more specific information on this location and its programs. It will give you a street level view of this location, allow you to print or email this location’s information, and correct any information you find that has changed.

Modifying the Search Criteria

Any time after you’ve begun a search, you can click and unclick the check boxes on the right side of the page labeled “Legend.” This will change which categories you see on the map or don’t see. If there’s a checkbox in front of it, it will be shown on the map if it’s in view and fits your search terms.

Printing

You can print what you see by clicking “Print This Map.”

Updating and Adding New Resources

In addition, you are able to help us maintain and keep this map current by clicking “Add a New Resource.” You know the neighborhood better than we do; sharing the resources you find valuable will help other families in need.

Erie County’s Department of Mental Health needed an organization to develop, institute and facilitate program improvement efforts for all the participating agencies in the Erie County Family Voices Network as well as supervise vendor services. We sought feedback from various workers regarding their challenges. Individuals who provide respite work or mentoring indicated the need to know what options were available for them to do with youth in Erie County. Although they may know of activities and programs, they could run out of options or not know of something that might be available closer to a youth’s neighborhood. There was a need for more information.
In addition, those who coordinate care for families in the Family Voices Network also needed information on healthy, natural supports in the neighborhoods where the family was located. Care coordinators could not keep up with the changes in the community while also providing quality assistance to numerous families. They needed more information on what was available in all of Erie County.

Finally, Community Connections of New York needed to know more about who could provide services within the vendor network. If we had more information, we could seek vendors who were already providing quality services closest to the neighborhoods where most families in need live. This means we would need to know more about resources throughout the County, not just in the City of Buffalo.

Our research found the works of John Kretzmann and John L. McKnight on asset mapping, a strength-based view of a community and the resources it currently provides. We believed that this process would be useful for the community, but we realized that it would be difficult to sustain its usefulness over time as the community grew. We wanted some way to capture and share the resources, remain useful over time, and provide functionality that would assist both families and care coordinators. We decided that creating an asset map using Google mapping technology would allow us to not only create something useful for the public, but also allow us to create a sustainable tool by adding the ability for anyone in the community to change the map. Let’s be realistic. We have only so many staff people and families know their communities better than we ever could. We couldn’t keep track of the numerous changes in community programming over time without devoting all our resource to just that endeavor. So, we have provided this tool and have shared it with all citizens of Erie County. Please help us help each other by letting us know what resources need to be added, and editing current resources with the most up-to-date information. You will be helping yourself and all the families in need.

You can do three things:

1. Add a resource to the map by clicking on the “Add a New Resource” button. Don’t worry about if you don’t have all the information or if you’re not sure if it’s helpful. Just add what you have and we can make the hard decisions. Anything you offer is helpful.
2. Make corrections or updates to the map. If something in your neighborhood changes or you see an error, let us know by click on the details and then clicking on “Send us a correction!” It will allow us to continue to make the site useful for families and service providers in Erie County.
3. Tell your friends. You can do this by simply sharing a resource you find on the map by clicking the share button on the details page, or by telling them how to find and use the map. The more people involved in using and editing it, the better it will be for everyone.