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Human Service Fund Grant Program Addresses Community Needs The 2026 Human Service Fund application season opens soon. A virtual pre-proposal meeting for 2026 Human Service Fund (HSF) grants will be held in May and applications will be due in June. Contact Erika García Reyes, erikag@ucsjoco.org for more information, or check out our website. Priorities for 2026 Human Service Fund funding cycle: Health and human service programs funded by the Human Service Fund must: promote self-sufficiency, well-being, and/or personal safety of Johnson County residents and fit within safety net investment components of basic needs, education/training, work and income supports, or health. offer county-wide services or fill a ...

Annual Point-in-Time Count Data Reveals Trends in Homelessness Johnson County’s Continuum of Care on Homelessness is a collaboration of public and private service providers committed to quickly and effectively responding to housing crises to either prevent or end homelessness among Johnson County residents. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that Continuums of Care conduct an annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count of households within their geographic region experiencing homelessness on one night in the last ten days of January. The count is a snapshot on a single night that is used to monitor trends year to year and ...

Elected Official Bus Tour Lunch & Learn of the Wyandotte County Housing Services Ecosystem In partnership with UCS and the Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition (KSHC), the Kansas Housing Advocacy Network (KHAN) hosted a Bus Tour Lunch & Learn of the Wyandotte County Housing Services Ecosystem for elected officials on Friday, June 21st. State legislators, candidates for office, and representatives of the Unified Government, its police department, and school system made for a packed room. Over lunch, Christina Ashie Guidry, Director of Policy & Planning at UCS, used data to illustrate skyrocketing housing prices, inflation, and stagnant income which have led ...

2024 UCS Human Service Summit Dismantling Division, Strengthening Community Nearly 150 attendees came together for the UCS 2024 Human Service Summit, where the theme of the day was “Dismantling Division, Strengthening Community.” This year’s Summit aimed to address three key questions: How does our brain shape our biases? What role does bias play in conflict and division? How can we act to create positive change? Participants explored the impact of biases on community cohesion and how we can manage these biases to build stronger, more inclusive communities. UCS Executive Director Kristy Baughman kicked off the morning with a brief data presentation that explored the depth ...

The 2024 Human Service Summit is next week! Register today! This year’s Summit, Dismantling Division, Strengthening Community, will explore the impact of biases on community cohesion and how we can manage these biases to build stronger, more inclusive communities. Kathryn Evans, M.P.A., Founder and President of Rooted Strategies, Inc., will explain both the benefits and drawbacks of inherent bias, which has been critical for human survival. While bias is an important part of human survival, it can also generate increased social, political, and community division. Bias has played a role in increased political and social division across the United States. However, recognizing and confronting unhelpful ...

The 2024 Human Service Summit is only 2 weeks away! Register today! his year’s Summit, Dismantling Division, Strengthening Community, will explore the impact of biases on community cohesion and how we can manage these biases to build stronger, more inclusive communities. Kathryn Evans, M.P.A., Founder and President of Rooted Strategies, Inc., will explain both the benefits and drawbacks of inherent bias, which has been critical for human survival. While bias is an important part of human survival, it can also generate increased social, political, and community division. Bias has played a role in increased political and social division across the United States. However, recognizing and ...

2025 Human Service Fund Grant Cycle and Pre-Proposal Meeting The 2025 Human Service Fund (HSF) grant cycle is open as of May 9, 2024! Applications are due July 1 by 12:00 p.m. HSF will be offering small grants through a Small Grants Pool Request for Proposals (RFP) in addition to the regular HSF RFP. HSF provides grants to nonprofit agencies in support of human service programs that promote the well-being, personal safety and self-sufficiency of Johnson County residents. Approximately $450,000 is anticipated to be awarded in 2025 grants through the regular HSF application and the small grants application. 2025 HSF Grant ...

New Fact Sheet Focuses on Johnson County Wages and Cost of Living The latest fact sheet from UCS highlights wages in Johnson County and how much workers need to bring home to maintain an adequate standard of living. A living wage is the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, and other essential expenses required to live a modest but adequate life in a specific geographic area. Unlike the minimum wage, which is often set by law and may not always align with actual living costs, a living wage is typically calculated based ...

Human Service Fund Grant Program Secures Resources to Address Community Needs Since 1981, UCS has administered the Human Service Fund (HSF), helping the County and cities address critical health and human service needs. The HSF is a competitive process that awards operating grants to nonprofit agencies for programs that meet the needs of Johnson County residents who live with income at or near the federal poverty level. In 2023, programs receiving HSF grants served more than 58,000 Johnson County residents in-need through direct services, including medical and dental appointments, mental health supports, nights of safe housing, counseling and case management, ...