Outreach Center for Community Resources opens in Wilkes-Barre

WILKES-BARRE — Lori Chaffers, Executive Director at the new Outreach Center for Community Resources on South Main Street, on Tuesday said the agency’s mission is to provide families with various services to achieve family stability and economic self-sufficiency and to do so with respect for the individual and with the highest professional standards.

“When I was initially hired as the executive director of Outreach in 2022, I told the search team that I would be humbled to have the opportunity to carry the light of our mission forward,” Chaffers said. “Today represents one of those humbling moments.”

Chaffers hosted a ribbon cutting for the new office in downtown Wilkes-Barre at 138 S. Main St. Chaffers said the new location is the sister to Outreach’s Seventh Avenue Center in Scranton.

Chaffers said the office opened for service in October 2023, to better serve participants in Luzerne County. Since opening, Chaffers said the South Main Street office has provided evidence-based programs, including The Incredible Years, Parents as Teachers, and SafeCare Augmented — programs that focus on family stability, a central pillar in Outreach’s mission.

“Our office in Luzerne County will initially focus on expanding our parent-child programs, which our team believes can change the trajectory of children’s and families’ lives,” Chaffers said. “While we have been slowly growing these programs over the last two years, we would not have been able to open a Luzerne County location and have a dedicated space to impact these families without the generous support of our partners at Geisinger Health Plan, AmeriHealth Caritas PA, and Luzerne County Children & Youth Services, all of whom are present with us today. Thank you for seeing the critical needs facing our families and partnering with us to meet those needs.”

Katrina Gownley, Administrator at Children & Youth, said the partnership deals with the areas most vulnerable part of our population.

“This is a great partnership,” Gownley said. “Preventing child abuse is our mission and Outreach fits perfectly in that mission.”

Outreach Family Development Specialist Bridget Matyjevich is the Luzerne County Program Manager and has led the team as they transitioned into the new space.

“Bridget and her team would love to meet you, give you a tour of the new office space, and explain the evidence-based family programs available in Luzerne County,” Chaffers said to the large gathering.

Chaffers said the Outreach Center for Community Resources offers a variety of programs, with respect for the individual and with the highest professional standards, that promote family stability and economic self-sufficiency.

“Outreach has proudly served participants in Lackawanna and the surrounding counties for over 35 years, and today marks an official next step in meeting the emerging needs of children and parents in Luzerne County,” Chaffers said. “I am thrilled to see so many of our Lackawanna County partners represented in the room, knowing that these programs and relationships can indeed cross the invisible barrier on 81 to provide much-needed support for families in our region.”

Chaffers said she is looking forward to learning more about and partnering with those organizations that have long been serving in Luzerne County.

“We are grateful for your warm welcome and to have the opportunity to partner with you to move families forward,” she said.

Chaffers said traditionally, nonprofit organizations like Outreach partner with other nonprofit organizations.

“And we will continue that legacy,” Chaffers said. “But, I also want to thank our partners at the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, who have tremendously supported us in getting established in Luzerne County. We are proud members of the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber and thankful for their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and to bridging the silos of business, commerce, government and our social service partners together.”

Chaffers said the Luzerne County office is fully staffed with nine employees covering three programs — Parents as Teachers, Safe Care Augmented and The Incredible Years.

For information, visit www.outreachworks.org.