FCSS donates $240,000 to local organizations

By Tim Kalinowski
Cypress County’s Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) funding has been allocated for 2016. The Prairie Rose School Division has been allocated $146,000 in base funding for 2016. An increase of $2,000 over last year’s funding. The division will also receive an additional $20,000 toward its Family Liaison Worker program.
Medicine Hat Family Services Counselling will see an increase from $16,400 to $24,400 in 2016. Cypress Early Childhood Development will see a bump from $22,500 to $25,000.
Two organizations will receive first time FCSS funding this year. Whispering Pines Camp will receive $5,000 to help pay for its youth sponsorship program, which helps low income kids attend camp. And the Medicine Hat and District Food Bank will receive $12,000 to launch a new preventative program in Cypress County.
McMan Youth Family and Community Services, on the other hand, will see a substantial drop in FCSS funding this year from $34,000 in 2015 to $6,000 in 2016. This is based on currently low volumes of demand for McMan’s services in Cypress County.
“The funding has increased by approximately 25 per cent,” said Paul Loosely, director of municipal services  and the FCSS at Cypress County. “And we have identified a number of new programs that we’re going to be providing funds to. My hat’s off to county councillors because they are very socially minded in terms of looking out for the people that are in need. It’s exciting to be part of a process where we have increased that funding dramatically.”
$12,000 was also set aside for potential future needs.