One Year of Family Support & Connections

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For years, Family Relief Nursery's outreach team worked tirelessly to reach families in Cottage Grove and Creswell, but their reach had limits. Families with children over age five couldn't be fully served, workers were stretched thin, and for many in the broader community, meaningful support simply wasn't accessible.

That changed with the launch of the Family Support & Connections (FS&C) program, a Lane County initiative that has transformed what's possible for vulnerable families across our region. "It expanded our area of reach to all of Lane County," says Ana Saenz, Outreach Director at FRN. "And it expanded the folks that we can serve." To support the initiative, two new workers joined FRN’s outreach team, and the eligibility requirements were simplified dramatically. Today, any family with a child under 18 who is enrolled in programs like SNAP or OHP can access services.

But for families not plugged into institutional networks, outreach meant showing up at donation rooms, community events, or local parks. "A lot of folks aren't involved through any organizations who would be in the position to refer them to us," Ana explains. "So it's really running on the ground when it comes to outreach for our Latine community." Once those first families were served, the results spoke for themselves. Families who received help became some of FS&C's most passionate advocates.

The support itself is individualized for each family. Staff work with parents to set personalized goals, whether that means finding childcare, navigating housing resources, accessing parenting classes, or working through budgeting challenges. "We can be that support system to help families get through these hard things," Ana says.

The impact after just one year is striking. FS&C served 100 families in its first year, and the program is now aiming to reach 160 families— totaling 2,080 contact hours— in the year ahead. That's Maddie and Betty, two dedicated workers, pouring thousands of hours into the lives of Lane County families.

And the relationship is mutual. Families connected through FS&C are often referred into Family Relief Nursery's other programs, and nursery families are connected back to FS&C. "It's kind of a give and take," says Ana, "a serve and return kind of thing."

With a contract renewal underway and a strong partnership with ODHS growing by the month, Family Support and Connections is not just sustainable, it's thriving. For families in rural South Lane who have long been underserved, that means a lifeline is finally within reach.