News

Poverty and Income in the Kansas City Region Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that the greater Kansas City region has experienced a steady decrease in overall levels of poverty since 2014. Nearly 1 in 10 residents live in households with income below the federal poverty level (FPL). Additionally, 1 in 4 residents (464,857 people) was low-income, which is defined as income less than two times the federal poverty level in 2018. Communities that have historically had the highest levels of poverty, including Wyandotte County, KS and Cass County, MO, have seen the greatest reductions in poverty. The ...

UCS Public Policy Forum - Public Policy & Healthy Communities Last month's Kansas Public Policy Forum, presented by UCS and United Way of Greater Kansas City with support from the REACH Healthcare Foundation, brought together state legislators, local elected officials, county and city staff, health and human service agencies, health foundation grant makers, community advocates, educators, and residents to discuss the upcoming 2020 legislative sessions and issues impacting the well-being of residents. The forum featured a conversation with Secretary Laura Howard of the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) and the Kansas Department for Aging & Disability Services (KDADS) ...

UCS Annual Meeting - We Are All Connected Who is your stretcher bearer? Annual Meeting Keynote Speaker, Reverend Adam Hamilton, United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, posed this question at last week's UCS Annual Meeting as he discussed the increasing social isolation we are feeling around the country and the world. Rev. Hamilton shared why we all need to have people in our lives we can connect with, especially in times of need. He asked us to think of who is there for us and who are we there for to be their "stretcher bearer". We Are All Connected was ...

Kansas Public Policy Forum - Registration Deadline this Friday Join us for UCS' annual Kansas Public Policy Forum on Tuesday, November 26th, 10:00 a.m.- Noon, as we prepare for the 2020 Kansas Legislative Session. This year's theme is Public Policy & Healthy Communities.  We will discuss with our local and state policymakers the work being done in our community and state around key health and human service issues.  Secretary Laura Howard of the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services is the featured speaker.  We will look at the upcoming session with ...

RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISPARITIES IN HOMELESSNESS Each year, Johnson County's Continuum of Care on Homelessness (KS-505 CoC) counts persons who are experiencing homelessness and collects information about them to help us understand not only who is experiencing homelessness in our community but also the complex and interacting factors that contribute to their housing history. In past years, annual reports have noted that racial and ethnic minorities in the community are over-represented in the annual Point in Time Count (PIT) of homelessness.  They represent higher proportions of the total count than they do the general population or the population experiencing poverty ...

UCS IS BUILDING THE NARRATIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH LOCAL FACES AND FACTS UCS has launched an awareness campaign on Facebook and Twitter to lift the voices of volunteers and community members who shine a light on the issues that impact the health and well-being of our community. The goal is to bring to life UCS' data and research, tell the story of us as a community and how health and human service investments are key to Johnson County's vitality and sustainability. One focus of the "build the narrative" campaign is the work of the UCS facilitated Johnson County Health Equity Network and its ...

HUD releases 2019 CoC Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), KS-505 publishes updated competition timeline The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its FY2019 CoC NOFA on July 3rd - a national competitive funding opportunity for Continuums of Care (CoC) working to end homelessness.  To view the FY2019 CoC NOFA, see HUD's website here. UCS acts as Johnson County's CoC lead agency (KS-505) and submits the application annually on behalf of local members in order to qualify for grant awards funding permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, homeless data management services and CoC planning. In May, KS-505 opened the application process locally ...

EXPLORE THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION - JOIN US FOR "NO SMALL MATTER" SCREENING Kansas Action for Children, UCS and community partners will be hosting a reception and film screening of No Small Matter, a feature-length documentary film that explores the most overlooked, underestimated, and powerful force for good in America: early childhood education.  Research shows that students perform better in primary and secondary school when they have access to educational opportunities before they start Kindergarten - unfortunately, high cost and low provider pay means that these opportunities are unavailable for too many Kansas kids. Making sure every child ...

UCS Releases Status of Johnson County Children Factsheet Johnson County is home to 144,890 children under the age of 18. Nearly 1 in 3 children are under the age of six. According to the U.S. Census 2017 one-year estimates, 26,800, or approximately 2 in 11 children in Johnson County lived in low-income households (200% of the Federal Poverty Level or $41,560 annually for a household of three), while 9,490, or 1 in 15 children lived at or below 100% of the poverty level in Johnson County ($20,780 annually for a household of three). The Status of Johnson County Children factsheet released by UCS ...

KS-505's FY 2019 Continuum of Care on Homelessness' Competition Public Notification for Proposals Each year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers a national competitive funding opportunity to Continuums of Care (CoC) working to end homelessness.  UCS acts as Johnson County's CoC lead agency (KS-505) and submits the application annually on behalf of local members.  In FY 2018, $684,000 was awarded to members of KS-505's CoC to support 7 programs in Johnson County offering permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, homeless data management services and CoC planning support. In 2019, KS-505 is opening the application process locally prior ...