City of Topeka, partners to host celebration event for Impact Avenues program

The City of Topeka and community partners will host an event on Friday to celebrate the successful first three years of the Impact Avenues program.

The event will take place on Friday, August 12, 2022 between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Holliday Building, located at 620 SE Madison Ave. At 2:30 p.m., a video will be played, highlighting successes of the program. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

Impact Avenues is a program that helps students get the resources and opportunities they need to get a quality education, and not have to worry about where they will sleep at night.

“Impact Avenues is a powerful partnership in our community dedicated to reducing student homelessness. I am very proud to be part of a program that has helped hundreds of children find permanent safe housing,” said Carrie Higgins, Senior Program Administrator for the City of Topeka. “Through collective impact and our 38 partner agencies we have been able to make a real difference, and I am excited to continue the important work we do.”

Impact Avenues Results

Backbone and partner organizations together touched the lives of Shawnee County’s students and families 3,340 times in the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 school years. During this period, 349 families with 827 children were served; 424 were students, while 333 were younger siblings. Full results are available in the Impact Avenues Three-Year Report.

A key metric for this program is the housing stability rate once families attain a permanent housing solution. 97% of families who attain a permanent housing solution through Impact Avenues remain stably housed. This extraordinary result is made possible by the full array of wraparound services and classes that build families’ ability to be self-sufficient, which is the heart of the Impact Avenues program.

If you’re interested in supporting Impact Avenues, please visit https://www.topeka.org/impact-avenues/help/ to learn more.