Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS) has received a $1.04 million contract from the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund. The award fully funded each of the four proposals in the applications beginning August 1 to extend through December 31, 2011. 

The four categories and individual funding are as follows: Home and Community Based Intervention Services, $200,000; Individual Group and Family Counseling, $460,000; Outpatient Psychiatric Services $176,000; and The Child Abuse Prevention Program, $208,000. 

A news release from JF&CS noted that the award is “particularly wonderful news in light of the budget cuts that agencies throughout the state have been experiencing.

“St. Louis County was one of the last to pass the ¼ cent sales tax to be used for both existing and expanded children’s services thus avoiding some drastic budget cuts or elimination of vital community programs in our area,” the release states.

The scope of the four grants includes services for children under the age of 19, to offer direct counseling and therapies for behavioral and mental disorder, psychiatric services, in-school programming for child abuse prevention, family therapy (with child present) for counseling issues and identification of at poverty level at-risk youth to move them beyond situational or generational poverty life styles. 

“The potential of the Putting Kids First campaign has now turned into the reality of the Keeping Kids First initiative,” said Louis Albert, JF&CS Executive Director. “With the funding contracts recently awarded to JF&CS, it will be possible to provide a wide range of mental health services to help many more children and their families in St. Louis County. We applaud all of those who worked so hard to make this possible, in particular the Boards of JF&CS and the Jewish Children’s Home who helped to lead the way through their vision for the community.” 

In a statement, JF&CS President Fred Steinbach said the funding will help the agency provide additional social services to the community. “With cuts from other charitable funds and from the state of Missouri these dollars are a most welcome addition. We will continue to be the preeminent social service provider to our community.” 

For more information about JF&CS, call 314-812-9000 or www.jfcs-stl.org.