Beloit School District Partners with Family Services

Beloit School District Partners with Family Services of Southern Wisconsin to Support Next Steps Family Resilience Center

Beloit, WI – Family Services of Southern Wisconsin is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with the Beloit School District, which has generously offered temporary storage space at the former Wright School to assist in furnishing the Next Steps Family Resilience Center. This partnership allows Family Services to begin collecting public donations of furniture and household essentials that will be used to furnish the 18 apartment units in the Center.

"While we await final planning for the future use of the former Wright Elementary School, The School District of Beloit is happy to serve and provide what is needed for Family Services of So. Wisconsin" said Tommie Bricco, Director of Facility Services, BSD.

The donated storage space will be critical for accepting items like couches, chairs, beds, kitchenware, and linens to create fully furnished apartments for families. This will help ensure that when families arrive at the Center, they are welcomed into a ready home, providing comfort and stability as they rebuild their lives.

"We are very excited to be at a point in this project where we are thinking about how to make these apartments into homes for our families and fill them with furniture and items where our families can share meals, do homework, and read a bedtime story.  We are grateful for the partnership with the School District of Beloit in allowing us to use Wright Elementary School for storage, as we can begin the process of collecting these items now, which will help us to start serving families quicker.  The creation of the Next Steps Family Resilience Center has truly been a community project that has been strengthened through the many collaborations; this is just one more example of a strong collaboration in service of the larger goals- a pursuit of the well-being of all families in our community" says Kelsey Hood-Christenson, President and CEO.

The Next Steps Family Resilience Center remains on schedule to open in Spring 2025, offering safe housing and comprehensive support services to single-parent families in need. The recent announcement of the $2 million grant from the State of Wisconsin adds to the excitement as the project continues to progress, and we are eager to see the final pieces come together.

While we aren’t ready to accept items yet, we will make a public announcement on our social media channels and a press release with all the details once the logistics are finalized. We encourage you to start gathering your gently loved furniture and household essentials for donation. Please remember, we kindly ask that all donated items be in good condition—no broken, torn, or unusable items. 

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About Family Services of Southern Wisconsin:  

Family Services of Southern Wisconsin is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families facing trauma, domestic abuse, poverty, and other challenges. The organization provides housing, counseling, and advocacy services in Rock and Green Counties.