Supervisors will work at Versailles main office
Family Connections closes site offices
Mary Margaret Moorhead - Staff Writer

Although all services will remain the same, Family Connections will close its site offices in Aurora, North Vernon, and Brookville as a budget cutting measure, according to Executive Director Connie DeBurger.

We just can't afford to keep the site offices open anymore," DeBurger said, adding that closing the offices will allow the organization to maintain its current level of service without cutting back employees.

Supervisors in each of the three offices will relocate to the main office in Versailles, according to DeBurger. Family support specialists, who make weekly home visits, and family resource specialists, who determine if families are eligible for Family Connections' programs, will work from their homes.

Family Connections, a nonprofit organization offering support services to new families, is in its 21st year and now serves Dearborn, Franklin, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley, and Switzerland counties.

Recently, DeBurger presented information to the Ripley County Council concerning the three programs available to Ripley County residents. These include Start Healthy, which is only offered in Ripley County; Healthy Families; and Prenatal Substance Use Prevention.

Start Healthy is a program to make sure women receive proper prenatal care to reduce low birth weights and premature labor; Healthy Families targets first-time parents; and Prenatal Substance Use Prevention is designed to help prevent birth defects resulting from drug, tobacco, or alcohol abuse during pregnancy.

DeBurger told county council members that $385,454 is budgeted by Family Connections for use in Ripley County. Her request for $5,000 to be included in the county's budget for 2005 represents only 1.2% of the total budget for Ripley County.

Noting that Family Connections serves 110 clients per month in Ripley County, DeBurger pointed out that the average cost to serve a family is $1,055 a year including home visits, mileage, and other expenses.
In the past three years, the organization has made $55,000 in budget cuts, yet expenses continue to rise, said DeBurger, who believes closing the site offices should help reduce costs without interfering with the programs and services Family Connections offers.