Brighton Center / Wonda Winkler

During Fiscal Year 2024, Brighton Center served 31,076 individuals through 47 programs. Brighton Center's comprehensive services are wrapped around individuals and families to meet the whole families' needs and lead to self-sufficiency.Brighton Center serves the community through the following programs:COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER programs assist families to reach financial self-sufficiency through connection to supportive intensive services, training, and education. Emergency Assistance provides short-term crisis intervention and provides food and other tangible items, as well as linkages to other services. In Fiscal Year 2024, 2,173 families received those services, and 5,663 individuals received a specific tangible resource. 120 older adults accessed supportive services to maintain independence through Club Care. Volunteer Engagement services are responsible for the oversight of 2,470 volunteers each year who assist our programs. Also, Brighton Center had 244 volunteers serving at local non-profits through our Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). We also educated 2,664 seniors on the issue of Medicare fraud and 244 seniors were served through Senior Support services.

FAMILY AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT programs serve infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children and their families through child development centers. Northern Kentucky Scholar House (NKSH), a partnership with Neighborhood Foundations, is a comprehensive, two-generation self-sufficiency program for single-parent families that provides affordable housing, child development services (Early Scholars Child Development Center), and case management support as they pursue a degree in higher education. 177 were served at NKSH. 154 children and their parents were served at Bright Days Child Development Center and 97 at Early Scholars. After 12 months of enrollment, 97% of Bright Days and Early Scholars children were assessed age-appropriate for cognitive and language skills. 68% of the single parents at NKSH made measurable progress toward a degree.

HOUSING AND FINANCIAL WELLNESS provides both a continuum of financial services, as well as housing within Brighton Center and throughout Northern Kentucky. Financial Wellness works on improving credit, budgeting, getting banked, savings, making good financial decisions, assisting with asset building, and preparing individuals and families for homeownership. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Sites are offered to assist with tax preparation in Campbell, Boone, and Grant Counties, and provided 528 individuals with free tax preparation services which resulted in a total of $636,276 in combined tax return refunds. 231 individuals attended a financial education workshop with 87% increasing their knowledge of budgeting, credit, and banking. 435 individuals engaged in Financial Coaching, and 96% paid their bills on time. 15 individuals became homeowners, and 289 individuals received foreclosure prevention counseling. 196 families, with school-aged children, were served through Stable Families, and 133 obtained or maintained safe and stable housing.

PARENTING SERVICES Every Child Succeeds (ECS) provides home visitation for first-time moms. Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-school Youngsters (HIPPY) provides home visitation to families with children ages 3 to 5. Over 543 families engaged in home visitation programming, and 93% of children engaged for a program year were assessed as age-appropriate in cognitive and language development.RECOVERY SERVICES includes Brighton Recovery Center for Women, which is a 100-bed facility located in Boone County that provides residential long-term (approximately 9 months) recovery services for women 18 and older. It is part of the Recovery Kentucky Initiative in the Commonwealth of Kentucky created to help Kentuckians recover from substance abuse, which often leads to chronic homelessness. 214 women were served through the Brighton Recovery Center with 39 women retained in all phases of the program during the FY24 timeframe. CENTER TABLE-Catering with a Purpose is a social enterprise catering program that offers residents the opportunity to learn about the catering business and an opportunity to gain experience in the food industry. Our WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT programs serve individuals throughout the eight Northern Kentucky counties. Since April 1997, we have offered comprehensive and holistic training through the Center for Employment Training (CET). Through CET, 113 individuals received training and 82% of completers secured employment. Trades to Success is a pre-apprenticeship program that explores trade and apprenticeship careers, job training, and post-secondary education opportunities. In Fiscal Year 2024, 68 individuals engaged in Trades to Success, and 56 obtained employment, entered an apprenticeship, and/or entered post-secondary education.KENTUCKY CAREER CENTERS serves as the Operator and Direct Service provider for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) services in the eight counties of Northern Kentucky. Talent Development Services provided WIOA services to adult and dislocated workers (8,328 individuals), and youth (894 individuals), as well as 1,255 unique employers. The Kentucky Career Center Operator coordinates the delivery of services between partners in Covington, Florence, Carrollton, and Grant Counties. For nearly 40 years, we have conducted job training programs for adults and youth. YOUTH SERVICES provides services for youth in the community. Youth Leadership Development (YLD) works with youth to build leadership and conduct community service projects. In addition, we serve adolescents and their families through the Homeward Bound Shelter for runaway and homeless youth (Northern Kentucky's only shelter specifically for youth), and the Independent Living Program for youth at risk of becoming homeless. Our outreach programs include the Street Outreach Program (SOP) and Project Safe Place, a crisis intervention program in which 118 local businesses participate. SOP is street-based outreach and education for homeless youth and young adults through identifying where they congregate, 1,084 youth were served and 79 were assessed for additional services during Fiscal Year 2024. Teen Coalition engages high school youth and combines service learning, community engagement, and career and college exploration; 8 high school youth served on the Teen Coalition, and 8 increased their knowledge of career/college preparedness. In Fiscal Year 2024, 243 youth were served by YLD, and 92% demonstrated the social and emotional skills necessary for success. Homeward Bound Shelter helped 64 youth by providing crisis intervention and 93% of youth exit counseling to ensure a safe and appropriate stable living arrangement. The Independent Living Program had 100% of youth gain employment within 90 days of enrolling and demonstrate basic life skills needed to live in the community. 96% of residents at Opportunity House made progress on their academic program in 2024.