News

Mark your calendars to attend UCS' Kansas Public  Policy Forum The event includes a reception for legislators and attendees after the presentations and legislative panel.  Come and learn about the state and federal issues that will impact our community in 2018 and beyond.  Get informed, be involved. UCS Receives Award in Recognition of its Collaborative Work UCS was honored to receive the Founders Award at Health Partnership Clinic's 25th Anniversary Luncheon.  The award recognizes UCS' significant impact on the health and wellness of Johnson County.  UCS Board President, Mike Hockley, and Executive Director Julie Brewer accepted the award on behalf of UCS ...

Status of Johnson County Children Johnson County is home to 143,100 children, and nearly 1 in 3 children are under the age of 6 years, according to 2016 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Census data and the  2017 Kansas KIDS COUNT report indicate the status of Johnson County's children: 27,400 children in Johnson County live in poverty or in low-income households (8,200 and 19,200 children, respectively), according to 2016 Census data. These children are more likely to have worse health, education, and social outcomes than their more affluent peers. 90% of pregnant women receive prenatal care. On a related note, the ...

Save The Date - Kansas Public Policy Forum Mark your calendars for the upcoming Kansas Public Policy Forum, co-hosted by UCS, Community Health Council of Wyandotte County, and United Way of Greater Kansas City with sponsorship support from REACH Healthcare Foundation.  David Adkins, Executive Director/CEO of the Council of State Governments, will be a featured speaker at the forum along with a panel of policymakers including Senator Laura Kelly, Representative Kathy Wolfe Moore and Representative Linda Gallagher. Date:  Monday, December 4, 2017 Time:  10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Location:  Matt Ross Community Center 8101 Marty, Overland Park Southwest Johnson County Transit ...

Save The Date - Kansas Public Policy Forum Mark your calendars for the December Kansas Public Policy Forum, co-hosted by UCS, Community Health Council of Wyandotte County, and United Way of Greater Kansas City with sponsorship support from REACH Healthcare Foundation.  David Adkins, Executive Director/CEO of the Council of State Governments, will be a featured speaker at the forum. Date:  Monday, December 4, 2017 Time:  10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Location:  Matt Ross Community Center 8101 Marty, Overland Park Celebrating 50 Years of UCS Through the Stories We Help Create Below is the second of a series of stories that will be ...

Celebrating 50 Years of UCS Through the Stories We Help Create UCS has always been an organization whose story is best told through the impact of its work.  The organization's 50th Anniversary Committee, led by board volunteer Donna Lauffer, has embraced this approach and is celebrating UCS' milestone by telling the stories the organization has helped make possible through its work, community partnerships and collaborations. Below is the first of a series of stories that will be featured in our eNewsletter, Facebook, and website.  Additionally, you may encounter one of our story banners that will be on display throughout the ...

U.S. Census Bureau Releases 2016 Poverty Estimates          Johnson County Poverty Levels Stagnant The U.S Census Bureau yesterday released 2016 estimates of population, poverty, income, and other demographic indicators from its American Community Survey and Current Population Survey. Nationwide, the official poverty rate dropped from 13.5% to 12.7%, with 2.5 million fewer Americans living below the federal poverty level than in 2015. Median household income increased nationwide, although there was no significant increase in the Midwestern states. Early analysis of Johnson County data indicates that unlike the nationwide trend, more people were identified as living poverty in ...

Immigration in Johnson County Immigrants from all over the world call Johnson County home, including non-citizens and naturalized citizens. Almost 48,000 Johnson county residents, or 8% of Johnson County's current population, came to the United States from another country, according to data from the U.S Census Bureau. Approximately half of all immigrants in the community are naturalized U.S. citizens. Growth in the immigrant population has outpaced growth in the general population by more than three times over the past decade. The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimates that Johnson County has the largest number of immigrants in the five-county, bi-state Kansas ...

County and Cities across Johnson County Recognize UCS' 50th Anniversary Milestone Johnson County Board of County Commissioners and city councils throughout the county have taken time this summer to help celebrate UCS' 50th Anniversary with proclamations recognizing the organization's work and impact on our community.  UCS and its board members have been honored to receive proclamations so far from the cities of Leawood, Overland Park, Westwood Hills, Edgerton, Olathe, Merriam, Lenexa, Shawnee, Gardner, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Spring Hill, and Johnson County, and are looking forward to being recognized at Mission's September 20th City Council meeting. In presenting the proclamations, our ...

UCS Publishes Employment Planning Project Report and Recommendations UCS launched the Employment Planning Project to identify opportunities to improve employment and career pathways for low income households. Based on the belief that employment should be a pathway out of poverty, the project's goal included developing a Johnson County-specific set of strategies to increase income and expand household-sustaining employment opportunities for low-income residents. The ultimate vision is that every household in Johnson County has adequate income to sustainably meet their members' basic needs.   Last week UCS released its report:  A Plan to Increase Income through Employment in Johnson County . The Employment ...

UCS' Navigating the Future Event Sold Out Attendance Showcased the Importance of Planning for a Healthy Future More than 200 professionals from across various community sectors including business, public safety, education, human services, government, faith community and funders gathered at the new Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center to discuss health and human service challenges and opportunities facing Johnson County residents and the importance of cross sector collaboration to address these challenges. As UCS celebrate its 50th Anniversary, the organization determined to use its annual Human Service Summit this year as a component of UCS' current strategic planning process which ...