2023 Family Stabilization Report
When we established the Family Stabilization Fund, we knew it was important because throughout the Cobb County School District there are nearly 50,000 students whose families qualify for free or reduced lunch. Our social workers partner with many local nonprofits, which help tremendously, but there were some cases where time was so limited that by the time the referral was received, it could be too late. Our students and their families could be living in their cars or be displaced, or simply need graduation attire in order to walk across the stage.
The Cobb Schools Foundation Board of Directors set out to help bridge this gap by establishing this fund. The fund represents a strong partnership between our community, the Foundation, social workers, and our students. This partnership is completely dependent on the hearts of our donors, who feel compelled to support families when life takes an unforeseen turn. Our social workers identify students who are typically struggling at school in some way and they intervene. When a financial situation is discovered, they perform a financial assessment and come up with a plan that best fits the needs. If they are urgent and are on the brink of sending a family into a crisis situation, this fund is there to help.
During 2020, we had just established the fund and because of the support from the community, we were able to provide over 1,000 devices to students who didn't have access to technology at home during the pandemic. Since then, we have been using the funds to support unmet needs. Our 2021-2022 report will demonstrate how this fund helps and where the funds are utilized.
