Family Support
Kansas City Location
1512 Van Brunt Kansas City, MO 64127
Belton Location
310 S. Scott Ave. Belton, MO 64012
Hours of Operation
Monday-Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Family Support Services
The Guadalupe Centers offers a variety of social support and emergency assistance services to clients through the Family Support Program. The program has three overarching goals: resolving family crisis, preventing homelessness, and improving economic and housing security.
Major components of family support programming include emergency assistance, case management and linkage to needed resources and opportunities. All family support activities focus on reducing housing instability, fostering asset building behaviors(s) and improving overall housing stability.
Case Management
In case management, specific short-term and long-term goals are jointly developed by the case manager, and the family. Goals may include anything from securing housing to acquiring parenting skills, language acquisition, accessing health care, or gaining employment. The Guadalupe Centers case managers advocate for families in the areas of health, education, housing, and employment while equipping them with skills needed to navigate those systems independently.
Mental Health Counseling for Youth - Fuerza
Guadalupe Centers bilingual mental health services target youth (19 and under) and their families with individual and family counseling. Services may include screenings and evaluations addressing short-term treatment, coping techniques, working with families to problem solve together as well as addressing a broader range of issues.
Family Support/Emergency Assistance Services:
The Guadalupe Centers offers services to meet short-term basic needs including the following:
Utility assistance
Rental eviction/mortgage foreclosures assistance
Food pantry
Budget Counseling
Personal hygiene products assistance
Information & Referral
Food pantry
Referrals for health care
Referrals for legal assistance
Transportation assistance
Transportation assistance
Language Interpretation assistance
Seasonal assistance
Mental health counseling for youth (limited availability based on funding availability)
Keidy’s IMPACT Story
This is regarding a single father, Marcos, and his 5 yr. old daughter Keidy with Spina Bifida that we met in late October 2022. As an infant, Keidy was abandoned by her mother and Marcos made it his mission to travel with Keidy to the United States from Honduras in search of medical care. Upon their arrival in Kansas City, Marcos gained construction work at a very low wage and offered housing by acquaintances.
The housing offered was only a "space" within a living room, and because he had no other options he reluctantly accepted. After several weeks at the house, Marcos learned about the Guadalupe Centers, and reached out to the Family Support program. He was enrolled in homeless case management services by GCI Family Support Director, Christina Jasso, who began working with him to secure housing, and needed medical services.
Marcos and Keidy were moved to a hotel temporarily with extended stay and together they continue to work on a permanent housing plan. Additionally, GCI purchased Keidy a "children's wheelchair" because dad didn't have one, and it was needed to start school where she'd been enrolled into Guadalupe Centers Charter schools Kindergarten. Medical services were coordinated by GCI case manager through Children's Mercy Hospital and Special Healthcare Needs through the State of Missouri.
To date, Keidy has undergone several surgeries that have all been successful. Dad frequently expresses gratitude for the many services coordinated and provided by GCI. Keidy is doing great in school and has many new friends including the school and after-school staff. The wraparound services provided by Guadalupe Centers would not have been possible without the grant support provided by HDF. As a community-based organization, we want you to know how much we value your partnership and support that allows us to fulfill our mission of improving the quality of life for all!
