DULUTH — Community-based resource centers will soon be established or expanded across the vast geography of St. Louis County.
The Family Services Collaborative of St. Louis County announced a new partnership aimed at strengthening family and youth support services across the region.
The initiative is made possible through nearly $1 million in combined grant funding.
In Northern St. Louis County, nearly $700,000 in funding from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families will support three centers and one mobile resource center to serve rural communities.
Partner organizations include Ely Community Resource, Voices for Ethnic & Multicultural Awareness, Mesabi Fit and Lutheran Social Services.
In the southern region, the Family Services Collaborative of St. Louis County is providing approximately $300,000 for Valley Youth Center, Lincoln Park Children and Families Collaborative, and Lutheran Social Services.
These resource centers offer free, family-centered services for those caring for youths through age 21.
Families will be paired with a Community Resource Navigator who will help connect them with regional support for food, transportation and other basic needs not covered by county programs.
Navigators will also facilitate access to services that promote healthy social-emotional development, offer safe social opportunities and provide parenting resources.
"We are thrilled to expand the support available to families throughout St. Louis County, including those in rural areas," said Cassie Liubakka, the county's Family Services Collaborative, in a news release.
"These centers will strengthen our collective efforts to ensure that every family in our region has access to the resources they need to thrive."
