Overview:

Since 1975, Native American Community Services of Erie and Niagara Counties Inc. (NACS) has been a key service provider to the greater Buffalo-Niagara community.

In Western New York, the Native American population is largely a mix of members of all six Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois) Nations (Seneca, Tuscarora, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk). In addition to the Native Nations above, we serve other individuals from Nations/Tribes from across North America, including a high percentage that originates from Haudenosaunee and other territories in Southern Ontario.  

A majority of our target population resides in the urban areas of Buffalo and Niagara Falls and aside from one program (Workforce Development) all of NACS’ services are open and utilized by all people in the community, both Native and non-Native alike.

Mission:

“To provide quality human services that meet the individual and/or family needs of the off-reservation Native American community in Erie and Niagara Counties.”

History:

NACS began as a single program to initially address unemployment in the Buffalo Native American community and was originally incorporated as the “Native American Manpower Program.” Through this initial work, other pressing needs of local Native families started to be identified. Following the establishment of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in 1978, other programs were initiated that began to focus on advocacy and support for Native American children and families. Soon after this expansion, the corporation changed to its present name to reflect these additional services. Youth programs and casework services were first made available in the 1980’s. Native American Foster Care and culturally based approaches to alcohol and substance abuse prevention programs were initiated later that decade. In the early 1990’s, NACS was one of the first agencies to begin addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS in the local Native American community. By the 2000’s NACS had expanded its programs to include services to elders, victims of crime, and the developmentally disabled.

Current Programs:

Our programs are now organized into five components, which are focused in the following key areas:

Ø Family Services

Ø Economic Self-Sufficiency

Ø Health and Wellness

Ø Youth Services

Ø Community Support Services

NACS’ aim, through our “Tradition of Caring”, is to help strengthen families mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and financially while also building a greater sense of community. It’s our belief that a healthy and thriving Native American population contributes to the vibrancy of the whole Buffalo-Niagara Region!