Press Release

Central Mississippi, Incorporated Families First Resource Center has a new Project Homestead Regional Coordinator. Marina Lott is a veteran in the statewide program and was previously assigned to work in Region 1 of the Department of Human Services division of Family and Children's services. The nine county area of Region 1 included Grenada and a number of Mississippi Delta counties. She is excited about being reassigned to the CMI Families Resource Center in Winona and working in her own home area. Ms. Lott will work to form countywide task forces to collaborate Carroll, Leflore, Choctaw and it's neighboring counties. Ms. Lott will be calling upon local business, service organizations, city and county officials and other community partners to garner support for this worthy endeavor.

Project had it's beginnings in the 1996 "Visions" conference sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The goal of bringing together both vested and non-traditional stakeholders to assess the state of the safety and well being of families and children was accomplished. The outgrowth of this networking was the proposed model of Regional Task Forces to begin assessing the needs for services within their own communities and areas and to develop a structure by which task force participants could work together. In northwest counties of the state the concept was able to persevere and the group eventually secured funds to establish a formal program known as "Project Homestead."

Using funds from the Community-Based Family Resource and Support Grant (CBFRS) and the State Basic Child Abuse Prevention Grant, Project Homestead was then able to create positions for Regional Network Coordinators. They are charged with coordinating the mobilization of interested child and family service providers, volunteers and advocates in each county within their region to establish county task forces. By linking representatives from education, clergy, public officials, law enforcement, judiciary, health and mental health professionals, business and various service providers, the services f theses agencies are better utilized. As community partnerships are formed the assessment of local met and unmet needs in regard to children and families are identified and can be impacted by the task force.

Project Homestead has been used to foster and promote programs that effect the issues of fatherless ness, teen pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse, child abuse, neglect and poverty. Conferences and workshops are organized in local, county, and regional area to promote greater community awareness of existing needs with the hope of fostering creative problem solving.

Project Homestead is also greatly responsible for organizing the annual statewide Mississippi Permanency Partnership Conference that brings together various family support agencies such as family Resource Centers, state agencies, non-profit programs, educators, social workers and task force members. National and state leaders in various fields are brought together to produce workshops on teen leadership, school safety, support group initiatives, mentoring, abstinence and character education, to mention a few. This years conference is being held June the 12th and 13th in Philadelphia at the Pearl River Resort. Task force members and their families are invited to attend, as many of the activities are geared to families. This year's youth rally will host a nationally acclaimed abstinence presenter as the featured speaker.

For additional information about becoming a task force member volunteer in your area, you may contact Ms. Lott at the Winona Community Center at 662-283-6226.