United Way of the Midlands Awards $931,359.00 to Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska to Fund Nine Programs Omaha, NE – Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (LFS) is pleased to announce it was recently awarded nine grants totaling $931,359.00 from United Way of the Midlands.
Thanks to the generosity of the United Way donors, programs that provide behavioral health therapy for adults, youth and children, as well as war refugees and traumatized veterans, will continue. Funded programs also include specialized therapy and support for children and families impacted by child sexual abuse (the RSafe® program), as well as the growing International Center of the Heartland.
The United Way of the Midlands has invested in the following community programs provided through LFS:
- Behavioral Health for New Populations
- Behavioral Health Programs
- Children and Youth Mental Health
- Immigration Legal Services
- International Center of the Heartland
- Interpretation Services
- Pottawattamie County Center for Healthy Families for families with children 5 and under
- RSafe® therapies for children impacted by sexual abuse
- At Ease® for active military and veterans
With the help of this grant, Lutheran Family Services is able to offer unique services like RSafe® which served 269 children impacted by child sexual abuse last year. Co-located at Project Harmony, this program treats child victims and children and youth who have acted out sexually. As a result of effective intervention with RSafe® therapy, the Omaha community experiences fewer incidents of child sexual abuse, since youth with problematic sexual behaviors (PSB) are statistically unlikely to re-offend. Recidivism rates for those children are at 0-2%. Former victims who complete treatment are less likely to demonstrate mental health symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and self-harming behaviors, including suicide. The cycle of abuse is broken and incidents of further victimization decrease exponentially.
RSafe® treats the entire family, like the Smiths – whose 11-year-old son “Jack” acted out sexually on his two younger siblings. With appropriate interventions, therapy, and a safety plan, the children were able to stay together in their home. Their father is in individual therapy to deal with his own abuse as a child. All three children know the six “privacy rules,” and after six months, the family is healing. Jack and his siblings are all doing well, with no further acting out.
“United Way’s support for this program is greatly appreciated by Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, and many lives will change in a positive way, thanks to all who made a contribution,” said Ruth Henrichs, LFS President and CEO.
About United Way of the Midlands: United Way of the Midlands helps the most vulnerable in our community, and works on human service solutions that will benefit our metro area for generations to come. We connect people and organizations with a secure way to donate their financial support and their time, and connect them to a strong network of health and human service programs that help our neighbors build a better life for themselves. Thanks to all who come together at United Way’s table, we are COMMUNITY STRONG. www.UnitedWayMidlands.org
About Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska: Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska is a 122-year old statewide human care organization which impacts thousands of families annually in the areas of behavioral health, children services and community services. For information, please visit www.lfsneb.org.
