DCCCA, a Douglas County nonprofit, is set to receive nearly $1 million from the Kansas Department for Children and Families to go toward a substance-use prevention program in the 2024 fiscal year.

Gov. Laura Kelly’s office on Tuesday announced nearly $20 million in Family First Prevention grant awards to agencies throughout the state. The grants are intended to create and support programs designed to keep families together and prevent children from entering the foster care system, according to a news release.

DCCCA, for example, will receive $921,606 to support its START program, which stands for Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams. According to DCCCA’s website, START is a specialized in-home service for families who have co-occurring substance-use and child-welfare concerns. It pairs case managers with family-support workers with recovery experience who help those families access risk-reducing interventions and addiction treatment.

“Family First programs have been proven to keep families together, improving outcomes for our children long-term and saving our state money down the road,” Kelly said in Tuesday’s release. “They have contributed to the nearly 20% drop in the total number of children in foster care since the start of my administration. That’s why we have worked across the aisle to direct both state and federal funding to expanding these successful programs.”

The grants announced Tuesday will also go toward programs throughout the state that support parent skill-building and mental health, among other focus areas.