Don Bosco Family Support Center
Don Bosco's Family Support Center serves over 10,000 people annually with emergency services that include food, clothing, rent assistance, utility assistance, and the center's annual Holiday Friends program. The support provided by the staff is not always monetary. Emotional support, encouragement and guidance are abundant from the staff. The Family Support Center leads people to education, employment and self-sufficiency.

The Family Support Center offers emergency assistance with food, clothing and rent/utility aid primarily through a coordination of community services. The Center is a resource for people facing homelessness, child and spousal abuse, job loss and substance addictions. The Center also helps low income seniors bridge their inadequate income through food and clothing banks.

The staff at the Center are case management professionals, working with other agencies to ensure appropriate referrals are made when the needs of the clients are outside of Don Bosco's services.

Through a database system provided by the Mid-America Assistance Council (MAAC), the Center is able to track participants to ensure that services are not duplicated or abused. This system is used by more than 200 agencies in the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

In 2006, the Family Support Center started its Work Empowerment Program (WE). The WE Program assists individuals with particular obstacles to employment (such as mental health issues, criminal records, a history of substance abuse, etc.) find employment. Services provided include case management, referrals to training programs, and career guidance.

The Family Support Center serves Kansas City with compassion and respect. It is difficult to ask for help, but by working with people, Don Bosco's front-line outreach continues to foster positive change.