Program areas at 360 Communities
Violence prevention and intervention programs includes Lewis House domestic and sexual violence shelters, sexual assault services, community advocacy, and educational services. 360 Communities intervened to prevent violence and promote healthy relationships with 3,943 individuals, including 303 adults and children who stayed in the Lewis House shelters. Trained advocates provided emotional support, safety planning, court advocacy, and referrals for other resources. Community advocates are located in 10 law enforcement agencies ,providing on-site services & resources to people experiencing violence.Violence prevention advocates give presentations, provide training and host community engagements events to educate our community about domestic and sexual violence. 4,303 community members benefited from this work.
Community resources - a network of five food shelves and two family resource centers in Dakota County provide healthy food support, financial resources, housing support, advocacy, and connections to other stabilizing resources. In FY23, 360 Communities delivered hunger relief to 10,170 individuals by distributing 1,735,304 pounds of healthy food. Financial assitance supported 504 households,including homeless prevention.
Two school success programs ensure children arrive at school ready to learn. The Child Care Aware program works with child care providers, parents, and other community organizations to promote the availability, affordability, and quality of child care services in Dakota County. Child Care Aware equipped 219 child care providers with skills that improved childhood development for about 6,807 children. Partners For Success employs family support workers in 29 schools and 6 school districts to partner with educators and families. Family supportworkers implement effective home-based strategies to increase parental involvement, improve academic performance, and connect families to community resources. Partners For Success supported 1,283 K-12 students toward on-time graduation, helping 41 students graduate high school.