After the Family Resource Council disbanded in 2010, several community members, including LeeAnn Clouse, Nikki Gausman, and Denise Zwiener, came together and discussed ways to help community organizations continue to connect and share resources.
The decision was made to expand what was then known as the Homeless Coalition, partly because it was already comprised of a large number of emergency service providers who worked together to share resources. Three years later, the group now includes members from healthcare organizations, local government, churches, schools, non-profits, individuals, and more.
Meetings are held at Salvation Army at noon on the first Thursday of every month. The agenda includes community announcements and updates, special presentations, and a block of time dedicated to agency sharing so people can offer resources and ideas, ask for help with their work, build partnerships, and discuss issues in the community.
Ariane Aten, Community Partners’ data coordinator, and Sara Frias, the community services coordinator for Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska, facilitate the group. Frias said, “I think just coming together to share services once a month is great. We are all trying to better help individuals in need. Things change all the time so trying to get as many agencies and people to attend the meetings and be part of the email list is a great networking tool.”