FAN provides safety net in troubled times

For families that have fallen on hard times, the Family Access Network (FAN) is a "one-stop shop" that can help families sort through what can be a dizzying array of available services.

Due to the current economic crisis and the lack of jobs in Central Oregon, many families are coming up against challenges that they have never faced before.

"We try to break the barriers and clear the roadblocks to services. Where do I go? Who do I call?" said Dawn Cooper, one of the two advocates in Sisters' FAN office. "We are traffic directors. We want to give our families a hand up, not a handout. We want them to be successful and to (learn to) advocate for themselves."

The Family Access Network has an active office in every one of the Deschutes County public schools. The Sisters FAN office is unique in that, due in large part to extensive local community support, the Sisters group offers services "from womb to tomb," not just for Sisters school children, but for all residents in Sisters Country.

As a hub, or clearinghouse, FAN advocates Theresa Slavkovsky and Dawn Cooper offer one-on-one personalized consultation and counseling that can range from helping with phone calls and faxes to setting up food stamps, shelter or transportation to helping coordinate rent assistance or utility bill relief.

While designed as a referral service to help connect families facing challenges with available services, the extensive ongoing support of Sisters Country individuals and organizations make it possible for the Sisters FAN office to offer a limited supply of direct support that often includes winter coats, boots, and school

supplies.

The Sisters community donates many of those supplies.

"We just got two calls yesterday asking 'What do you guys need?'" said Dawn, "We have gracious, amazing people in this community."

In the last three months, Sisters FAN served 284 clients, including 143 new clients. Thirty percent of these clients got help with food, while 50 percent received help with needed clothing, and forty percent needed help with their utility and heating bills.

Countywide more than 10,200 children and their family members received help from the Family Access Network during the last school year. The number of local families seeking help has surged in recent years.

Executive Director Julie Lyche reported in The Bulletin that there has been a 29 percent increase in demand for services from the previous year. Lyche attributes the increase in need to the downturn in the economy. She reports that families that used to be donors to the program are now in need of FAN's services.

The FAN website shows countywide demand remained high - but flat - for the previous two years, but for 2011 the demand for health services increased 50 percent, food assistance 62 percent, heating 40 percent and housing 51 percent.

As an indicator of the increasing challenges locally, the free and reduced lunch program is now serving 50 percent of the Sisters Elementary School population. Those that qualify for the lunch program also qualify for a variety of other services including sports fee scholarships and coverage for SAT test fees and college application fees.

The Sisters FAN office is located in a quiet corner of the School District administration office building at the corner of Locust Street and Cascade Avenue, just west of Sisters Elementary School. Their number is 541-549-0155. The advocates can be reached by email at [email protected] or [email protected]