The COVID-19 pandemic presented some communities with issues they've never had to face before. But for those living in poverty, their centuries-old problems are now becoming worse.

“The COVID is a tragedy and these structural inequalities are tragedies,” said Todd Goehle, the Peace Inc. Planning and Community Engagement manager. “We’re also afforded a really unique opportunity right now.”  

Peace Inc., a non-profit organization that provides services to Onondaga County families in need, released its COVID-19 Community Needs Chronicle and Assessment after a 3-month evaluation of Syracuse neighborhoods based off of national, state and local data and personal experiences.

Goehle hopes it serves as a call for action from the community to help those struggling.

It determined the city's north and south sides were hit the hardest, intensifying problems that stretch back generations.

“One problem that we found is the hospitalization rates," Goehle said. "At the beginning of June for instance, 26 percent of the people hospitalized were black or African American and they only represent 11 percent of the county’s total population.”

Goehle said many residents also suffered from basic needs insecurities, such as food and transportation.

That's a problem that Peace Inc. hopes to solve by expanding their services and creating news ones.

“One of the adjustments we made was to really ramp up meal delivery and food delivery at home,” said Goehle. “So, it wasn’t just seniors who were forced to shelter in place what we discussed, a lot of our largest outreach was single mothers or families of large families because they didn’t have the time or ability to go to the grocery store.”

The organization is also developing trauma-informed programs to address mental health, while providing employment and economic support, especially for those who are concerned about evictions.

"Twenty-five percent of our clients surveyed had issues with paying their bills,” said Goehle. “ We really see that providing resources to help people in these needs to pay their bills and rental assistance could be a really useful way to help.”

Goehle said they’re collaborating with other organizations to help these families, and he hopes more people step in to make a difference.