LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — Lucas County Children Services is getting a major boost as the recipient of one of 34 statewide grants announced Wednesday.
The program was selected from one of 1,442 funding requests, according to a media release from LCCS.
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The $463,802 grant is from OneOhio Recovery Foundation, the not-for-profit organization responsible for distributing Ohio's share of nationwide opioid settlements with 10 pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors.
The grants are being distributed to organizations "for efforts that address prevention treatment and long-term recovery, criminal justice and public awareness activities that promote the overall health and well-being of Ohioans," based on an agreement between the OneOhio Foundation and LCCS.
An LCCS spokesperson said that the organization will use its grant to expand its Family Search and Engagement Program, including family-finding for youth placed in the care of LCCS because of family disruptions due to opiate dependency. It will also be used for children and families in the OhioStart program.
"Being selected for this grant is a major accomplishment for LCCS. The opiate crisis had a devastating effect on the children and families we serve, as well as on our staff," LCCS director Randall Muth said in the release. "This honor validates the commitment we've made to keep children with their extended families, rather than in foster or congregate care."
LCCS' family stabilization activity has been largely facilitated by the Area Office on Aging's Kinship Navigator program, according to the release.
"This grant award will help the Kinship Navigator Program to stabilize the home environment and provide additional evidence-based programming to educate caregivers," Arcelia Armstrong, coordinator of the Caregiver Support and Kinship Navigator Programs at AOoA, said in the statement. "It will also allow us the opportunity to provide a podcast that creates awareness in the community about support and resources available for kinship and grandfamilies."
The grant will also be used to "provide more robust coaching support for youth seeking lifelong connections because of the impact that opiate dependency has had on their families," LCCS said.
