United Community Services Presents Award to Shawnee Mission School District

United Community Services (UCS) of Johnson County recognized the Shawnee Mission School District at its annual Meeting and Community Awards Ceremony.

The organization presented the Excellence in Community Service Award to Project HOME, which is a collaborative effort initiated by the Shawnee Mission School District to support students and families as they navigate challenging circumstances.

Project HOME (Housing Opportunities Move Everyone) provides twice-a-month opportunities to help families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness meet with officials from various agencies. These local agencies collaborate to connect families to resources related housing, finance, utilities, food, employment, furniture, counseling, healthcare, and anything that is a barrier to housing. They work with the goal of helping families prevent homelessness and help to permanently house families. 

The initiative of Project Home has inspired other organizations to start similar initiatives. UCS also recognized Impact Olathe that helps to support families and students in transition.

These programs have helped to bring together agencies that are able to assist and help “chip away at the cycle of poverty,” with the goal of helping people return to sustainable situations, David Aramovich, McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison for the Shawnee Mission School District said. 

“This initiative is a collaborative effort, people coming together for a common cause, which is to work toward eradicating homelessness,” Aramovich said. “Together we are so much stronger in understanding the complexities that people are dealing with on a regular basis.”

For more details and contact information related to Family and Student services and McKinney-Vento Homeless Service in the Shawnee Mission School District, click here.

Project HOME and Impact Olathe partners include: Johnson County Mental Health Center, Shawnee Community Services, New City Church, Vineyard Church, Shawnee Mission Area Council PTA, Redeemer Fellowship, United Way of Greater Kansas City, Jewish Family Services, Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, Northeast and North Central Multi-Service Centers, Workforce Partnership, KS DCF, El Centro, KidsTLC, City of Olathe, Olathe Housing Authority, The Salvation Army, Health Partnership Clinic, reStart Inc., Olathe Multi-Service Center, and the Olathe Fire Department.