ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A forum was held Monday night at Immanuel Baptist Church on Park Avenue to discuss strategies to tackle poverty in Rochester. The event, organized by Citizen Action of New York, brought together panelists, including individuals who have run for office and those who’ve worked in the banking sector.

The proposals discussed included increasing the minimum wage, expanding affordable housing, and establishing a city-owned bank. Currently, the Bank of North Dakota is the only publicly owned bank in the U.S.

“In terms of doing the feasibility studies, in terms of looking at ways to improve or ways to make it applicable to our circumstances. I think that’s the important thing, and that’s what I hope in this forum can give you an idea of what to work off of and how to create a structure that works in the banking world, but in more nontraditional sense,” said Michael Marshall, Board of Ministry at Immanuel Baptist Church. “So I think this really about, again, education and letting people know how these things can happen.”

Pastor Wanda Wilson from Greater Harvest Church said some of the ideas discussed could greatly benefit her congregants. “When we put policies in place that can help put more money in people’s pockets, of course, it’s going to help them to be able to have a more affordable lifestyle, right? So they can afford things. So they’re not making a choice between whether I’m going to pay my rent [or] am I going to pay RG&E? So we need to find that solution so that people can really have that balance to where they’re not robbing one person to pay the next person,” said Wilson.

There has been a push in the state assembly to create a public bank in New York, but the idea has faced resistance from banks, which argue that a public bank is too big of a responsibility for the city to manage.

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