LFCS receives $10,000 grant to support families in Cape Girardeau region
FOX23 News at 9 p.m
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., (KBSI) — Lutheran Family and Children’s Services has received a $10,000 grant to help improve housing conditions for families in Southeast Missouri.
The funding, provided by the Procter & Gamble Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, will support efforts to address health and safety needs for families enrolled in LFCS’ Parenting Program.
Officials said the grant will be used to assist approximately 90 individuals, including pregnant women, parents and children, by providing items and services such as cleaning supplies, pest treatment, junk removal and replacement of unsafe household items.
LFCS caseworkers are identifying eligible families and assessing needs as part of the program.
The initiative aims to improve living conditions and reduce health risks, with a goal of helping at least 75% of participating families create safer and healthier home environments.
LFCS officials said the program is part of broader efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect by addressing environmental factors that can impact family stability.
More information about the program is available by contacting LFCS.
Case Manager Jessica Kruger, says the funding will help multiple families facing obstacles, one of those being help with pest removal such as bed bugs, Kruger shares they see families dealing with bed bugs often and the treatment can be very expensive, creating unhealthy and stressful environments for families.
“So, this covered that initial heat treatment, which is the best way to get rid of them and then they also will be coming once a month for 12 months, just to double check and make sure there wasn’t anything left behind” says Kruger.
Program Manager Evelyn Beussink says the funding will help more than 50 different local families experiencing crisis.
“Based on kind of the needs of the families that we identify and are going to be most helped by the funding, but depending on, the needs we’ve talked about up to 50 to 90 families could be helped with various types of services” says Beussink.
