FAMILY ACCESS NETWORK FOUNDATION

FAN supports provided to children and their family members are often life changing interventions, empowering families to address critical issues in their lives. Indirectly, FAN services benefit the schools, the student population, and the entire community. When basic needs (such as hunger) are met, students have more concentration and less behavioral issues in school. Rather than using valuable classroom time to address non-education needs, teachers will be able to spend more time teaching and students will benefit by having less distractions and more time learning. When children show up appropriately dressed, well-rested, well-fed, and ready to learn each day, all benefit.

It is critical to alleviate and mitigate stressors of poverty because studies show that living in poverty as a child can be detrimental to future well-being not only for the child, but for the community. Studies also show that education breaks the cycle of poverty. FAN's partnerships with social service agencies, churches, businesses, and individuals support children and families both educationally and from a health and wellness perspective.

The 27 FAN advocates provide a direct, convenient, and non-threatening way to support vulnerable children and families through connections to essential services in 65 school sites throughout Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties. Because of the long-established partnerships with so many local, social service agencies, FAN advocates can often address many needs for the entire family in a single visit.

At the beginning of each school year, the FAN advocates will work with incoming students to ensure that each child has adequate clothing and school supplies to start the year off on a good note. School supplies and backpacks are one of the greatest needs for FAN families; our community partners help provide the school supplies and our advocates make sure that all children have what they need to be successful in the classroom. Throughout the year, the advocate will also connect children and families to many other needs which are often seasonal like: winter coats, snow boots, and heating assistance as well as the ever-constant needs of jobs, housing, healthcare, and dental work.

Unique to Central Oregon, FAN is the only organization of its kind that works directly in the schools. Our FAN advocates are all school district employees, which is important when trying to reach the students slipping through the cracks. A teacher or staff member can connect a student to their FAN advocate instantly instead of going through the time consuming and sometimes shaming task of getting permission for services from a parent/guardian. FAN advocates are part of a student's school experience and just like a school counselor, are available when needed.

Our FAN advocates are a vital hub within the often confusing network of social services, working with nearly 100 community partners and creatively collaborating to provide families with resources. Not only do children and families rely on our advocates, but our community partners rely on FAN for referrals to their programs (including local mentoring, free dental clinics, and mental health services). What FAN provides Central Oregon is essential to the well-being of our communities.

Our community support, FAN advocates, and a track record of successful implementation make FAN uniquely qualified to serve Central Oregon. Additionally, FAN has extremely knowledgeable leadership, a FAN Steering Committee, and the FAN Foundation Board (a fundraising board comprised of 10 dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to raise FAN program funds), all of whom ensure that FAN is fiscally sustainable and FAN services are operating efficiently and are successful at reaching Central Oregon's most vulnerable children and family members.

As pandemic assistance ends and cost of living increases, many families who were already struggling to recover are now at an even higher risk of falling into poverty. With the ongoing housing crisis continuing to stretch budgets in Central Oregon, FAN's services are crucial to ensure families remain housed, and children remain clothed, fed, and equipped for success in school. With our expansion into all three Central Oregon counties, we now serve all children (aged 0-18) and their families in Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties. This expanded reach will provide a low-barrier resource within schools for families facing increased hardships, so they can stabilizing and regain self-sufficiency quickly.