News

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, ...

Johnson County's Eviction Mediation Pilot: A Promising Approach to Mitigating Evictions and Homelessness Evictions are court cases filed to remove a tenant household from rented housing, usually due to nonpayment of rent. Evictions have high stakes for tenants, landlords, and the community. Landlords lose income and many Kansans lose housing, sometimes leading to people entering cycles of homelessness. Once an eviction judgment is entered, Sheriff’s deputies are sent to physically remove or bar tenants from returning to the property. Additionally, eviction judgments present a near absolute barrier to housing for many renters: In Kansas, evictions never come off a renter’s court record and ...

Fact Sheet: A Focus on Johnson County Residents with Disabilities People with disabilities represent an important part of the Johnson County community. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, more than 57,880 Johnson County residents have a disability, representing 9% of the total population. Seven percent of working-age adults aged 18-64 have a disability. Removing barriers through accommodations, assistive technology, and inclusive policies allows people with disabilities to fully participate in the community. The goal is inclusion and equal opportunity for all. Learn more from our latest fact sheet. Safety and Wallpaper: Meeting ...

What is the CoC? Rita Carr Director of Community Planning Here in Johnson County, there is a broad coalition of service providers, local government offices, faith groups, housing providers, and community members working on responses to homelessness. This coalition is called the Johnson County Continuum of Care on Homelessness. It was created over 20 years ago as the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) began requiring communities across the country to create Continuums of Care (CoCs) to submit consolidated applications for CoC funding, coordinate homeless services at the local level, track data locally and create responses based on the ...

UCS Celebrates the Contributions of Hispanics and Latinos in Johnson County During the past month, Johnson County communities have been celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month which honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans. Johnson County is home to 52,575 Hispanic or Latino residents, representing 8.5% of the county’s population. More than 2 in 3 of those residents identify as Mexican, with Puerto Rican, Cuban, and other national identities also represented in the Hispanic and Latino populations. The median household income of Hispanic residents is $76,534, compared to an overall median household income of $98,523 across all Johnson ...

A Profile of Johnson County’s Older Adults More than 93,000 seniors call Johnson County home, representing 15.3% of the population who are age 65 and older. One in four seniors live alone, a trend that is more common in the United States than in many other countries, according to Pew Research Center. Among other challenges, the cost burden of housing affects 23% of homeowners and a striking 64% of renters. Our latest fact sheet emphasizes the need for support networks, housing options, and community services to enhance the health and well-being of older adults in our community. Editorial: Livable Communities ...

The Role of Child Care in Financial Stability For women in the workforce who have young children in their household, child care is not only important but is a critical element for workforce participation and long-term financial stability. When child care is affordable and accessible, it can support parents’ and guardians’ ability to work and provide lifelong benefits to children. But childcare costs stand out as one of the biggest barriers to financial stability for women in the workforce. Learn more in the video below: Family Friendly Workplaces Summit – Registration Open Society for Human Resource Management of Johnson County ...

Listen In: New Episode of “JoCo’s One Small Step” In this episode, we'll hear from Tom and Jon. Tom considers himself an "Eisenhower Republican," and was heavily influenced by the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement during his youth. Jon, who grew up with a more conservative mindset, has recently been re-evaluating his political beliefs after a major life event and isn't sure he fits into one political party. Listen in to their conversation. This episode is presented by United Community Services of Johnson County with support from Resurrection, A United Methodist Church. One Small Step is a podcast framework ...

Kristy Baughman Named as New UCS Executive Director The UCS Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Kristy Baughman, UCS’ current Director of Education and Planning, has been chosen to lead UCS as the new Executive Director effective July 24. Kristy brings more than 20 years of nonprofit experience to the Executive Director role. Throughout her career, she has built authentic, productive relationships with leaders, stakeholders, and community members across the globe, here in Johnson County, and in her own neighborhood. Kristy joined UCS in 2018, and in her current role has advanced our organization’s housing work, illuminated health ...

Recap: UCS Human Service Summit Focused on Taking Action to Address Homelessness in Johnson County Approximately 200 attendees came together for the UCS 2023 Human Service Summit, where the theme of the day was “From Me to We: Tackling the Big Issues Together.” The big issue that participants focused on was establishing a shelter for our unhoused community members, and how each participant could play a role in helping establish a continuum of housing within Johnson County. Two panel discussions framed both the impact of housing challenges and homelessness in our community, as well as visions for possible solutions. One solution highlighted ...