| In
addition to facilitating and managing ongoing projects,
UCS identifies, coordinates and supports projects that create
awareness of emerging issues affecting the quality of life
in our community.
UCS's
current projects include:
Elizabeth Kneebone,
Brookings Institution Senior Research Associate, and author
of The
Suburbanization of Poverty: Trends in Metropolitan America,
2000 to 2008 was the keynote speaker. Kneebone,
whose work primarily focuses on urban and suburban poverty,
metropolitan demographics, and tax policies that support
low-income workers and communities, presented national
findings and discussed the implications for Johnson County.
During her presentation, Kneebone
drew from a subsequent Brookings report entitled Strained
Suburbs: The Social Service Challenges of Rising Suburban
Poverty, which assesses the challenges that rising
suburban poverty poses for local safety nets and community-based
organizations, and shared data from a forthcoming Brookings
Institution report focused on the philanthropic response
to the suburbanization of poverty. View
Kneebone's PowerPoint slides.
At the conclusion
of the keynote presentation, a panel of local leaders
shared their reflections on poverty and its direct impact
on Johnson County. Panelists were Dr. Pat All, Rev. Gail
Greenwell, County Commissioner David Lindstrom, Amanda
Lowe and Senator Tim Owens. An individual exercise and
participant dialogue in small groups completed the morning
event.
More than 150 people attended the event (Link to roster).
- Mental
Health and Criminal Justice Intercept Project
In
January 2011 UCS released the Johnson County Mental
Health and Criminal Justice Intercept Project Report
on behalf of project partners who represent criminal
justice and mental health systems. The report examines
and proposes ways to “intercept” individuals
with mental illness as they move through the criminal
justice system in order to ensure they have prompt access
to treatment, opportunities for diversion, and links
to community resources. The goal of the collaborative
planning project was to improve the
response to adults with mental health needs who are
in contact with the criminal justice system. Findings
include that community partnerships, information sharing,
training and education are key components to improving
Johnson County criminal justice system’s response to
individuals with mental illness. UCS’
facilitation of the project was supported by a grant
from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
Links
below are to the report, an executive summary, and the
January 20th release event presentation. For
more information contact
Marya
Schott.
Mental Health
Criminal Justice Intercept Project Report Executive Summary
Mental Health
Criminal Justice Intercept Project Report
Mental Health
Criminal Justice Intercept Project Report Power Point
- UCS
Receives Grant from Health Care Foundation: The
Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City has awarded
UCS a grant of $30,945 for a mental health planning project.
The grant will support the work of UCS and nine partners
to advance recommendations from the Johnson County Mental
Health and Criminal Justice Intercept Project which involve
consumers of mental health services and/or their families.
The overall goal is better outcomes for people with mental
illness who encounter the criminal justice system. For
more information contact Marya
Schott.
- Roundtable Discussions:
UCS
periodically convenes human service providers by area
of interest to identify emerging needs.
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