UTICA, N.Y. -- Church leaders and other advocates are pushing for changes to state and federal budgets.

They've been traveling across the state as part of a tour to get their message out.

They've spoken in the Bronx , Albany, and on Wednesday, they made a stop in Utica at the Thea Bowman House.

Advocates want lawmakers to lighten the burden on the poor by increasing taxes on the wealthy, and investing more into children's programs, and they say that's just the beginning.

"It's about having enough money to build affordable housing and keep people in their homes," said Peter Cook, the New York State Council of Churches Executive Director. "It's about properly educating our children in schools which are still quite underfunded, and it's also about stopping whatever damage the federal government is doing to our healthcare program."

This is the first time this group has organized a tour like this one.