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JFCS of the Suncoast awarded $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to support Child and Family Wellness Contact Name: Trisha Kauffman Contact Email: TKauffman@JFCS-Cares.org Contact Phone Number: 941-226-5667 Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) of the Suncoast recently received a $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County for its Children, Youth and Family Mental Health programs. The grant will help support a full-time family therapist and part-time case manager to provide mental health counseling and wrap-around services. The annual economic cost due to untreated mental illness for children and youth in Sarasota County alone is $86,179,317. In any given two-week period, 22%of youth report feeling sad or hopeless and have stopped their usual activities. JFCS' Children, Youth, and Family Mental Health Services provides an array of programs and services focused on helping children, youth and families dealing with tough times and tough situations. JFCS typically serves low to moderate income and ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) populations. The ALICE population in Sarasota County is 38% overall but the percentages are higher among minorities and single parents. This population typically lives paycheck to paycheck, and financial stressors often lead to depression, anxiety, substance abuse and other challenges, and impact access to needed mental health care and other services. "We are incredibly grateful to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County for this generous grant," said Helene Lotman, President/CEO of JFCS of the Suncoast. "This support will allow us to provide critical mental health services to children, youth and parents in need and help them lead healthy, productive lives.”