Prevention of poverty includes PATH’s Kid Reach, a newly adopted program that matches school-based and community-based mentors to children at risk. Mentoring has been proven to help at-risk children overcome the many challenges they face, including breaking the cycle of poverty.

Crisis assistance is PATH’s Rescue component. It continues to be our largest program, and it will always be a part of PATH. A crisis is one in which families are not able to meet life’s most basic needs; including food, shelter, utilities, medicine, eyeglasses, and dental emergencies. Once the crisis has been managed, the next goal is family stabilization.

Stabilization includes PATH’s Prescription Assistance for long-term medications, Tyler Community Homes for affordable housing, and the Elderly and Disabled Home Repair Program for independent living. PATH’s special drives for diapers, school supplies, coats, fans, and blankets offer the costly necessities that can overwhelm a family that is barely making it month-to-month.

Growth can only be attained once the crisis has been addressed and the family has been stabilized. PATH, in collaboration with several local social services agencies, offers an Education Program, a regular schedule of classes including: life-skills, literacy, parenting, nutrition, money management and home-ownership.

Independence is the ultimate, long-term goal for each of the families we serve. Family Support and Development is the independence component of PATH's program. It is designed to help a family recognize and leverage their strengths, establish and achieve goals and make positive changes in their lives. In the near future, PATH will also offer Individual Development Accounts (IDA’s) to the families enrolled and demonstrating progress in Family Support and Development. An IDA is a matching savings plan. Savings provide a sense of future, of hope, and long-term financial stability. The matched savings can be used to continue education, purchase a home, or start a small business.

The greatest strength of participating families is that by coming to PATH they have taken the first step towards independence, it is their determination and hard work with a little support from PATH that helps them achieve independence.

PATH’s programs address the multiple factors affecting low income families that keep them in poverty, place them at risk of becoming homeless or in need of crisis intervention services, and limit the potential of children and adults to live stable, secure and prosperous lives.

In order to fulfill our mission, PATH has established a strategic plan titled “Five Steps on the PATH to Success”. PATH’s programs can be encapsulated in five steps, they are: Prevention, Rescue, Stabilization, Growth and Independence.

We pray that this strategic plan will open new doors for program participants, donors, volunteers, and staff.