For the past three decades, The Children's Cabinet has served 12,000 families in Nevada, with counseling and other support services. Now, they have been awarded $750,000 from the U.S Department of Justice.
This is the first time the nonprofit has ever applied for the grant. Kim Young, Executive Director for Children's Cabinet says, "The Children's Cabinet has been in this community since 1985, our mission is to keep children safe and families together."
Family counseling is one of the cornerstone support services offered there, however, it has typically been limited to families with children six years of age, or older.
The $750k grant to be dispersed over three years, will change that. Young says, "We'll be able to expand our family counseling program to include children 0-6 years old and families that have been affected by opioid use."
Experts say that starting counseling at a young age, especially for children from families in crisis, is crucial. Nicole Altamirano, Clinical Director at the nonprofit says, "Healthy emotional growth while children are young is so important for their success as adolescents and adults, and their success throughout school."
Officials also hope to use the grant to expand collaborations with community partners like the Washoe County School District, local hospitals and more.
If you'd like to learn more about the organization, click here.
