April is Fair Housing Month:
2025 Annual Homelessness Data Factsheet Released

April is recognized as Fair Housing Month, commemorating the passage of the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. Fair Housing Month serves as a reminder of the ongoing work needed to expand equitable access to safe, stable, and affordable housing for all.

UCS recently released the 2025 Annual Homelessness Data Factsheet, which includes year-round data from the Continuum of Care on Homelessness’ Coordinated Entry System, a count of beds and units across the homelessness response system, and the number of public-school students experiencing homelessness in Johnson County as identified annually by six school districts.

The Coordinated Entry System is a network of trained staff at agencies throughout the county who assess a household’s circumstances and connect individuals and families to supportive services. For households meeting homelessness criteria, a Coordinated Entry Screening is conducted, and those with the highest vulnerabilities are referred to intermediate or longer-term housing programs as openings become available. The full factsheet can be found here.

UCS team travels to Manhattan for Advocacy Academy and KSHC Statewide Housing and Homelessness Summit

UCS team travels to Manhattan for Advocacy Academy and KSHC Statewide Housing and Homelessness Summit This past week, members of the UCS team traveled to Manhattan to facilitate the pre-conference KHAN Advocacy Academy and present multiple sessions at the 2026 Kansas Statewide Housing Coalition (KSHC) Housing and Homelessness Summit.

The KHAN Advocacy Academy brought together advocates and partners to strengthen shared strategies for advancing housing stability across Kansas. During the summit, UCS team members led sessions on Storytelling for Impact, Supporting Youth Experiencing Homelessness, and Revitalizing Abandoned Housing, each focused on practical tools and cross-sector collaboration.

A key highlight was the closing plenary delivered by Kristy, Executive Director, and Christina Ashie-Guidry: “Kansas Housing Advocacy Network: We are who we have been waiting for.” The session reflected on the recent legislative session, highlighted the impact of statewide collaboration, and launched the Kansas Rental Housing Survey to better understand rental conditions across Kansas.

This year’s summit theme, “Transforming Kansas Local Communities United to End Homelessness,” grounded the convening in a shared commitment to collective action and reinforced the importance of working across systems and regions to advance housing stability statewide.

Strengthening Community Through Connection: Community Connect JoCo

On March 30, UCS convened Community Connect JoCo, welcoming over 35 attendees from across Johnson County. Community Connect JoCo is a quarterly cross-sector networking space that brings together human service, health, nonprofit, and community-based organizations to strengthen relationships, share resources, and foster collaboration to better serve our community. This gathering was convened in direct response to a need identified at last year’s Human Service Summit. Each session features a speaker and dedicated time for participants to exchange updates, identify gaps, and explore opportunities for collective impact in an informal and welcoming environment.

Our speaker this past month was the Johnson County Public Library, who shared about their Community Connections program located at the Central Resource Library. Interested in joining our next Community Connect JoCo on June 30 sign up here.

RACIAL EQUITY ROUNDTABLE- ASSET-BASED FRAMING

This quarter’s Racial Equity Roundtable featured Kandace Buckner who grounded us in the reminder that words matter. Our thoughts and beliefs shape our language—the way we think about people and situations directly influences the words we choose, whether we realize it or not. What we believe drives our actions, often unconsciously, and these beliefs guide how we act in both visible and subtle ways. Attendees were encouraged to reflect on how language and perception shape systems, relationships, and outcomes. Three key components of Asset-Based Framing:

• Aspirations first: Begin with what people want to achieve and who they want to be
• Acknowledge contributions: Recognize the value and strengths they already bring
• Invest in potential: Support their growth as assets to the community.

2027 Substance Use Continuum of Care Fund (SUF)

On behalf of the Drug and Alcoholism Council of Johnson County (DAC), UCS is pleased to announce the launch of the Substance Use Continuum of Care Fund (SUF). The annual SUF grant process allows applicants to apply for both Alcohol Tax Funds (ATF) and Opioid Settlement Funds (OSF) in a single application. With multiple special revenue, special purpose funding sources, SUF can extend the scope of its support to the substance use continuum of care to fill existing gaps in services, to address root causes leading to substance use, and to provide robust recovery and reintegration.

All potential applicants, please join UCS for the 2027 SUF Pre-Proposal Meeting on May 7th at 9:30 a.m. via zoom. Contact Erika Garcia Reyes, erikag@ucsjoco.org for more information.