Saint Francis Ministries awarded Community Foundation of Southwest Kansas grant
Salina, Kansas – November 21, 2022 – Saint Francis Ministries has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Southwest Kansas to help expand the nonprofit’s Family Centered Treatment® in-home prevention services to families living in the southwest part of the state.
“We congratulate Saint Francis Ministries for this award,” said Patty Tronsgard, CFSWK program director. “The FCT in-home prevention service to southwest Kansas families is an important program, and we are happy that we were able to award the grant.”
A trauma-focused family therapy model, FCT is designed to strengthen families and keep children in the home by reducing maltreatment, improving caretaking and coping skills, enhancing resiliency, developing healthy and nurturing relationships, and increasing child well-being through changes in family values. Since implementation in 2019, the number of southwest Kansas children in out-of-home placement has fallen by 29 percent.
Families struggling with poverty are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system, with many experiencing inadequate housing, food insecurity, and limited healthcare resources. Often, children’s needs are not met due to economic distress. Although FCT specialists connect families to community resources, some families need one-time assistance to get through a difficult period – while maintaining progress in the FCT program.
Over the next year FCT expects to serve at least 172 new families. The grant funds will provide needed relief from financial burdens so they can focus on treatment and keep moving towards building a stronger, healthier family.
“We’re grateful for this partnership with the Community Foundation of Southwest Kansas and appreciate their compassion for families facing obstacles in the home,” said SFM’s Director of Grant Development Lisa Capps. “Their support makes southwest Kansas families stronger and will help keep children safely at home.”
About Saint Francis Ministries
Saint Francis Ministries work encompasses foster care, therapeutic foster care, adoption, family preservation/intensive in-home services, residential care, and community outreach services. Founded in 1945 in Ellsworth, Kansas, the organization now serves more than 11,000 individuals through child and family welfare services in Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, and Arkansas. Additionally, Saint Francis provides supervised living and employment services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Mississippi. The organization is headquartered in Salina, Kansas. For more information, visit www.saintfrancisministries.org or call 800.423.1342.
