Family Resources Field Trip

We invite grant applicants to share the histories of their organizations when seeking funds from the Better Health Foundation. Often, it’s this segment of the application that brings an organization to life.

We learn why the nonprofit was founded, its guiding principles, and how it continues to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our community. By knowing an organization’s history and purpose, we can better imagine BHF engaged in its future.

In their first application for a Capacity Building and Service Support grant last fall, we learned that Family Resources has a 175-year history that began with the Ladies Benevolent Society. This brought to my mind a group of determined women championing the causes of those in need with kindness and generosity — the very definition of benevolence.

The tradition of caring for the community continues with Family Resources today.

Under the leadership of CEO Nicole Cisne Durbin, Family Resources offers a wide array of services to more than 80,000 clients annually, the majority of whom report their income as low or very low.

Individuals turn to Family Resources for mental health care, to foster or adopt a child, or to receive strength and healing from an adverse life experience like domestic violence, a homicide or other violent crime.

Family Resource’s community-based and administrative services are located at 1414 W. Lombard Street in Davenport.

Family Resources is also focused on ending violence. When BHF Board member Dave Heller and I made a Learning Visit to Family Resources, Nicole was excited to share impressive results from the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) initiative, a collaboration between the Davenport Police Department, the community and social service providers to reduce violent crimes.

Thanks to GVI, from 2019 to 2023, the number of shots fired dropped 54% and theft was down 34%. The initiative has also been successful recovering firearms, 402 in the year 2023 alone.

Results require resources, and Nicole has been working to raise awareness about the importance of unrestricted donor support. It’s these dollars that will help meet the organization’s needs beyond grant-restricted uses.

Beyond funding, Nicole reminded us of the importance of preventative services and helping people with their basic needs. I think the Ladies Benevolent Society would agree.