Collaboration and Community Impact in Johnson & Franklin Counties

The 100 Families Alliance of Johnson and Franklin Counties gathered this week for a Partner Appreciation Lunch—a warm, community-driven celebration honoring the people and partnerships that make family stability possible. The event highlighted a year of shared success through the 100 Families Initiative and the Smart Justice District Court Initiative (SJDCI), showcasing how coordinated care and collective action are changing lives across the region.

Hosted as a potluck lunch, the gathering perfectly reflected the Alliance’s core belief: when everyone brings something to the table, families thrive. With a strong turnout and an atmosphere of genuine encouragement, partners celebrated both the relationships and the results that made 2025 a transformative year.

This year, Johnson and Franklin Counties demonstrated what becomes possible when agencies, courts, nonprofits, schools, churches, and volunteers move in the same direction. According to the event's shared data, each client in the Alliance benefits from an average of 7 coordinated care team members, helping them stabilize across multiple life domains.

Families participating in the 100 Families Initiative made significant strides, with stability levels rising across key areas:

• Employment: 45% stable or thriving

• Financial stability: 93%

• Housing: 37%

• Mental health: 21%

• Childcare: 21%

• Transportation: 36%

• Safety: 4%

• Recovery: 7%

These numbers illustrate how multi-agency support—delivered through consistent communication and shared goals—helps families overcome barriers that once felt insurmountable.

Over the past 12 months:

• 220 participants were served

• 184 completed updated assessments (84%)

• 62 were from Franklin County

• 158 were from Johnson County

Since launch, the counties have seen:

• 57 participants moved from crisis to career

• 46 crisis-to-career transitions for selected data periods

• 12 new participants added in August 2025

• 286 total individuals served to date

These outcomes represent not just numbers, but families taking tangible steps toward stability and self-sufficiency.

The Smart Justice District Court Initiative partnership reinforced the power of collaborative problem-solving within the justice system.

When individuals first engaged with the program:

• 79.63% (43 people) entered in crisis

• 16.67% (9 people) were at risk

• 3.7% (2 people) were stabilizing

Through coordinated support, their legal situation improved dramatically. Today, individuals fall into the following categories:

• Stable: 55.56% (30 people)

• Thriving: 5.56% (3 people)

• At risk: 7.41% (4 people)

• In crisis: reduced to 20.37% (11 people)

Behind these numbers is a robust network of partners, including Project Community, the Johnson County District Court, Lumina Behavioral Health, River Valley Medical, Arkansas Tech, Stepping Stones Recovery, Restore Hope, and others working together as a unified care team.

A highlight of the event was a presentation by Matt Witson of the Arkansas Family Alliance, who introduced CarePortal—a care-sharing technology designed to activate churches and community partners around real-time family needs.

Witson shared why this tool matters:

• 11.4 million children experience poverty nationwide

• 4.4 million agency referrals occur annually

• 343,007 children are currently in foster care

• 50% of children in foster care come from just 5% of U.S. counties

• Black children represent 23% of children in foster care, despite making up 14% of the general population

CarePortal gives communities a direct way to respond—meeting needs such as beds, clothing, transportation, or utility assistance before a child welfare case escalates.

Impact Already Seen in Arkansas

• 2,978 children have been served so far

• Generating $1,690,940 in economic impact statewide

With several local pastors and ministry leaders attending the luncheon, partners expressed enthusiasm about bringing CarePortal to Johnson and Franklin Counties soon—expanding the continuum of support families can access.

This year’s Partner Appreciation Lunch was more than a meal—it was a reflection of what community looks like at its best. Each story shared, each data point highlighted, and each partnership represented reminded attendees that transformation is possible when no one works alone.