Family Resource Page
Community Resources for Families
Our job as the Family Resource Center is to help bridge the gap between our families in need and the resources within our community that they may need. Many families will need one or more of the resources below at least once during their child's educational career and we are here to help take away the stigma of asking for help. This page has a variety of resources that families may need throughout the school year. These include information about food, clothing, shelter, holiday assistance, kindergarten readiness and much more.
If you are in need of further assistance please feel free to reach out to our FRC:
Rebecca Johns, MSSW
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm
Office and Work Cell Phone: 502-977-8214
Email: Rebecca.Johns@jefferson.kyschools.us
You can also ask your student's teacher to have Rebecca reach out to you.
Food Assistance
There are various places to obtain food assistance throughout our community. Below are listed some organizations that assist with food assistance. Each organization's website is linked in their name, those links will be able to provide you with more information about the services they provide and where they are located.
Dare to Care offers the Kids Café, Mobile Pantry, Food Pantries, Soup Kitchens, and Senior Programs. Please view their website (linked above in their name) for more information.
The Community Ministries are divided by zip code and offer various services such as assistance with food, utilities, rent and much more. Please use the link above to find out the contact information for the Community Ministries for your zip code.
No Kill Louisville offers a Pet Food Bank for families in need. They are open on the 1st Saturday of each month and appointments are available from 12pm-3pm. Please visit website for more information. Link above.
Clothing Assistance
Clothing Assistance is one of the major needs for our students and families at McFerran Early Childhood. Most families throughout our district will need clothing assistance at least once during their child's educational career. Due to this we want to remove the stigma against asking for help with providing clothing for your family. Below are some resources to assist your family in providing clothing for your whole family.
The JCPS Clothing Assistance Program provides clothing assistance to enrolled JCPS students and their families. For more information please see the link above. To request clothing for your student please contact your Family Resource Center Coordinator, Rebecca Johns.
Hope's closet provides clothing and other basic needs items free of charge to children in foster, adoptive and Kinship families in Kentuckiana. Please visit their website, linked in the name above this box, to see what is needed to utilize this resource.
The Goodwill Voucher Program is offered by the Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services in Jefferson County. To be eligible for the program you must present a need that a Goodwill voucher will fulfill, be at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and reside in Jefferson County, KY. Individuals who meet the income guidelines and provide ALL supporting documentation may be eligible to receive a Goodwill voucher for $50 and up to a total of five vouchers with a biennial limit of $250, NO REFUNDS if the entirety of the voucher is not used. Only available until funding runs out.
Applicants can begin the process by either visiting or calling any of the eight Neighborhood Place sites. Ask the receptionist to speak to a Resilience and Community Services (RCS) staff member regarding the Goodwill Voucher Program. Applicants will be advised of more details and what documentation will be required to complete prior to the initial appointment.
Call Metro311 by simply dialing 311 or 574-5000 for help locating the Neighborhood Place nearest you.
Housing Assistance/Rent Assistance
Having a clean and safe place to sleep at night is important not only for your child's education but also for the health and safety of your entire family. Living situations may be different for every family and having access to the resources available to make the best decisions based on YOUR family's specific needs is an amazing thing to have in your tool bag as a parent. Below are resources to help with rent/mortgage payments, income based housing opportunities, and information on local shelters in our community. If you are currently Homeless please reach out to your Family Resource Coordinator, Rebecca Johns, for extra assistance in securing housing for your family.
The Community Ministries is a nonprofit organization with 13 area ministries in Jefferson County. They are divided up by the zip codes that they serve and offer various services such as assistance with food, housing, rent, etc.
The Louisville Metro Housing Authority is a Organization that strives to provide quality, affordable housing and to help the residents of Louisville to achieve financial independence. On their website you will find the application information for Public Housing, Section 8 Housing, their Homeownership Program, Employment Opportunities, Russell Choice Neighborhood Initiative, Moving To Work, Green Initiatives and much more! To learn more please visit their website.
Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville was founded on the conviction that everyone deserves a decent place to live and they are passionate about Louisville's affordable housing need. They offer a homeownership program and a home repair program that works in partnership with families and individuals to build or repair a place that they call home; making a lasting impact in their lives, their children's lives and in our community. Please visit their website for more information.
Temporary Housing/ Shelters
Below are several opportunities for clean and safe shelter for families in need. If your family becomes homeless please contact your Family Resource Coordinator, Rebecca Johns, for more assistance in securing housing for your family.
Programs and facilities include:
Men’s Emergency Shelter
Men’s Permanent Supportive Housing
Family Emergency Shelter
Women’s Permanent Supportive Housing
Single Women’s Emergency Shelter
VA Program assisting homeless men, women, and families
Low Barrier Shelter for Men, Women and Families
Samaritan Patrol providing blankets, hot coffee, food, clothing, transportation to the shelter
Dining Hall and Chapel
Thrift store (9125 Galene Drive)
Sober Living Recovery Program (Provides six month to one year residential recovery program for homeless men and women at no charge)
Educational Classes (tutoring; computer classes on-site; literacy, critical thinking skills)
College and Career Program (provides post-secondary educational opportunities as well as certificate program opportunities)
Work Therapy Program (provides hands-on training as well as formal classroom training)
Life skills training and Onsite case management
Collaborative educational/vocational/training opportunities with fifteen area universities, colleges, and seminaries
Vocational Training (culinary arts, auto mechanics, print shop, retail)
Wayside Christian Mission participates in Operation White Flag which allows additional bedding for the homeless during extreme weather conditions
The Salvation Army offers individualized services to families with children by addressing the root cause of poverty within 18-24 months of trauma informed case management and goal setting for each family. They also offer an emergency shelter for men and women, family crisis apartments and rapid rehousing, household crisis assistance and stability, and financial coaching and empowerment.
Transitional home; accommodates four single, homeless women who may reside at Rhonda's for six months to a year.
Women are accepted from any life-change situation: recovery from drugs/alcohol, job lost or a painful experience of divorce. Mission is to guide women toward permanent lifestyle change and self-dependency and to lend a hand to any woman who requests our assistance.
ReCenter Ministries offers a Drop-In Shelter and a LifeChange: Stability Program.
The Drop-In Shelter is an emergency day shelter for women and their young children, providing a safe place for them to rest, store their belongings, get their mail, do laundry and take care of personal hygiene needs. The Drop-In Shelter is open Monday-Friday 8am-2pm.
The LifeChange: Stability Program provides men with emergency overnight shelter for up to 45 days with access to case management and other various services to help them regain stability and independence.
St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities offers 3 Residential Programs, located on our campus in downtown New Albany, that provide pregnant and/or parenting women and their young children with a safe environment to live, get back on their feet, and get connected to community resources.
Intake inquiries can call 812-948-0400 any time to leave a message and begin the process. Residential staff will ask questions and gather information to help determine your needs, if our services are a good fit, and if we have suitable space available.
Move-ins typically take place between the hours of 9am-2pm Monday-Friday.
The Center for Women and Families provides services for victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, spousal abuse, dating violence, and offers family therapy in Louisville, Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The Center for Women and Families helps survivors through supportive services, community education and cooperative partnerships that foster hope, promote self-sufficiency and rebuild lives.
Originally part of the YWCA, The Center for Women and Families has been serving our community since 1912. Today The Center is a private nonprofit organization with 6 regional locations serving 10 Kentuckiana counties: Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties in Kentucky and Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties in Indiana.
We provide fresh coffee, hot showers, a place for our clients to receive personal mail and phone calls, and hygiene products.
Those who seek emergency shelter at Catalyst are encouraged to take the next step on the road to permanent housing. Job and housing counselors connect our clients to new opportunities, help them identify barriers to self-sufficiency, and connect them to our case management team as they move forward.
Our mission at Catalyst is to identify barriers to housing and to eliminate them. This means that our case manager will be working with our clients on getting identification cards, birth certificates, and social security cards. Our goal is to work through past evictions and help our clients pay the debts they owe. This means obtaining disability, SSI, a part-time job, or a full-time job is a must.
Catalyst will work with potential landlords to match our clients with the housing options that are best for them. Through our partnerships with the New Albany Housing Authority and Jeffersonville Housing Authority, we seek housing permanency for all our clients.
Holiday Assistance
JCPS has families from all walks of life and all walks of faith. Due to this we try and help all families have the ability to celebrate the holidays in line with their own family beliefs and traditions. Within our District many families are struggling to provide everyday needs for their families and are in need of additional support during the holiday season. As a Family Resource Center our job is to help families connect with community partners that can help them during this time to ensure that their children are able to have as amazing of a holiday experience as their peers.
The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program provides thousands of children every year with Christmas Morning Joy. Applications need to be submitted in September to be selected for this program.
Wayside is making sure every child has a present to open on Christmas morning. Miracle on Broadway is a free Christmas store for the homeless and needy at Hotel Louisville. The store provides toys, personal items and food for over 5,000 people each year. All applications and supporting documents have to be submitted by November 30th each year. Visit the website linked above for more information on how to apply.
The local Community Ministries assists hundreds of families every year with holiday assistance. Please reach out to the Community Ministry that serves your zip code. This can be found on their website linked above.
Before/After School Child Care
McFerran Early Childhood has families in various stages of life. Due to this some of our families are in need of child care assistance to ensure their child has a safe place to stay before or after school while their guardians are working.
The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) provides support to help families pay for child care. The Division of Child Care is responsible for all child care provider support and The Division of Family Support helps clients apply for the program.
Eligibility for the Child Care Assistance Program
Applicants must meet eligibility requirements in 922 KAR 2:160. An applicant can see if they are eligible by using the Prescreening Tool. To apply please call toll free (855) 306-8959 or visit kynect.
Spanish CCAP Eligibility Flyer
Apply
CCAP applications can be submitted by phone at (855) 306-8959 or online at kynect.
Please tell us if you need assistance because you do not speak English or have a disability. Free language assistance and/or other aids and services are available upon request. To receive free interpreter services, call (866) 291- 8931. For other assistance, call (855) 306-8959 or (TTY) (800) 627-4720.
Si no habla inglés o tiene una discapacidad, usted puede solicitar asistencia lingüística y/u otros servicios gratuitamente. Para recibir servicios de interpretación gratuitos, llame al (866) 291-8931. Para otro tipo de ayuda, llame al (855) 306-8959 o al (TTY) (800) 627-4720.
This link has a variety of information for families looking for child care. This includes but is not limited to explaining the difference between regulated child care and nonregulated childcare, how to know if a provider is regulated, what to look for in a child care center, and the types of curricula available at different child care facilities. Please visit the website linked above for more information.