Member municipalities of Kneehill FCSS have stepped up to increase funding so the organization can continue to deliver the support it provides to the communities it serves.
Kneehill FCSS has the mission to strengthen the quality of life for all residents of participating municipalities by supporting volunteerism and providing preventive social initiatives and programs. Its members include Kneehill County, Carbon, Acme, Linden, Three Hills, and Trochu.
The organization has been feeling the constraints of the changing provincial funding model and the pressure of COVID-19.
“Kneehill FCSS… had a number of contracts from Children’s Services as well as our FCSS funding. All of it was very focused on children, youth, and families. The province has refunded,” said director Shelley Jackson. “I would guess in the Hanna, Drumheller, Starland, Kneehill area, we probably aren’t getting as much money as we did in the past because they kind of leveled it across the province.”
She said because of the changes they have lost some funding toward their family resource workers who did social and emotional support and connections within the schools in the area.
To help continue to support programs the board asked member municipalities to increase their contribution to the program.
“I think where the board was coming from with our request was, they were really worried about the caseloads for the staff which are quite high right now,” she said.
“Because the caseloads are really heavy with only two staff, we were finding there wasn’t as much prevention,” she explains.
Their request did not go unheeded, and Jackson has learned each of its members has committed to increasing their funding. FCSS has also added some funding from their deferred funds to support, bolstering their program.
“The board asked for an increase for just three years because we are really hoping things will level out once the other services the province is funding can get more strongly rooted in our community,” she said. “We are hoping this is just a short blip and this increase in funding will be able to deal with what we think is a little bump.”
With the funding, she says they are looking at hiring another position. While the role won’t be the same as their existing family wellness workers, they are hoping the person will take over some groups or develop some programs for teens.
She is grateful for the support.
“Sometimes when you have regional programs, it can be a challenge, but our regional program for FCSS in our area has been amazing over the years, they really do work together to do their very best to address issues throughout all six municipalities,” said Jackson.
