Newly hired Community Outreach Facilitator takes front and center at Rotary lunch

Rochester Community Health Facilitator Erin Nasino was the main speaker at Monday's Rotarian luncheon at the Roberge Center. (Rochester Voice photos)

ROCHESTER - Rochester's new community health facilitator said during a Rotary luncheon on Monday that over the past four months she's made headway with many of the city's most vulnerable, including the homeless, those with mental health issues and others with drugs and alcohol addictions.
Erin Nasino said one of the most satisfying inroads came at the Rochester Public Library, where transients often come seeking refuge from the cold.
"I was at the library one day and tried to speak to a woman, who screamed that she didn't want anything to do with me," Nasino told the Rotarians. "But now we talk and joke and she says she's now willing to learn about resources."

HAPPY TALK: Rochester Rotary President Gary Branyen walks around collecting "happy dollars," which buy Rotarians the chance to take the floor and address those in attendance.

Nasino does a lot of work with the homeless, visiting encampments and trying to get them into shelters, though many prefer living outside, she said. She also will try to help them get food stamps, or if they are suffering from mental issues, get them hooked up with NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness nonprofit.
Nasino said her biggest challenge is to keep the lines of communication open between herself and the city's most at-risk population, which includes many of the elderly, especially those who lack support from family members.
Nasino is one of a handful of community outreach coordinators throughout the state and the only one embedded with a city welfare department, according to Rochester Welfare Director Todd Marsh, who introduced Nasino at Monday's luncheon.
The community outreach facilitator position is being funded by Covid-era ARPA money for the first five years.
Nasino, who formerly worked at Lydia's House of Hope in Somersworth and My Friend's Place in Dover, said she handled 23 referrals in November, some from the library, others from police, who are also on the front lines interacting with many of the same individuals.

Rotarians and their guests queue up for lunch during Monday's Rotary meeting at the Roberge Center in downtown Rochester.

She admitted on Monday that while it's been challenging to strike a rapport with the city's homeless and transient population, the same could be said of some of the local nonprofits.
"Hey, I get it. I worked a long time at nonprofits, and some were like now that I'm working in government, I've gone to the dark side," she joked.
Nasino said she takes the kidding in stride and seeks only to foster greater relations with everyone she works with, from nonprofits, governmental agencies and those she is trying to help.
She said while her job is a daunting one, it's also something she is passionate about.
"It might be an impossible task, but it's worth striving for," she said.
The delicious lunch of barbecued chicken, meatballs and tossed salad was served in the Roberge Center and prepared by Mitchell Hill Barbecue and Brew owner Bob Benoit.
To learn more about the Rochester Rotary, which hands out between $25,000 and $30,000 every year to local nonprofits, visit www.rochesternhrotary.org