UPCOMING EVENTS

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) we have moved many events to virtual gatherings or postponed them. We will continue to share information about events through our usual communications. To join the PPMC's COVID-19 conversation, follow us on Facebook and Twitter and use the hashtags #covidbytes and #ppmcUpdates. 
Share your thoughts about Wichita State!

Help Wichita State University better serve you by sharing your thoughts through the new Wichita State brand survey!
Your thoughts are important in this time of change. Help the university make the right decisions to ensure everyone finds value in Wichita State and feels welcome in the Shocker community.
Your next few minutes will make an important difference!
Share your thoughts and take the survey:  https://wsu.news/survey
Spanish-language version of the survey: https://wsu.news/surveyspanish
WAMPO focus groups go digital

The future of transportation study for the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO) shifted to digital platforms in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The PPMC is successfully completing focus groups for WAMPO utilizing the Zoom platform and Facebook Live. 

Envision, the Wichita-based nonprofit dedicated to providing paths to independence for low vision individuals, participated in the first digital focus group, which was an overwhelming success. The PPMC will be hosting three more digital focus groups for the WAMPO project. 

In addition to the focus groups, anyone can go to the WAMPO website, www.wampo.org, and complete an online survey to help impact the future of transportation for the region. Hurry, the WAMPO online survey will close on April 30, 2020!
Housing analyses completed for cities of Haven and Wellington

The PPMC has completed work on housing assessments for the City of Wellington and the City of Haven. 

Both housing analyses were initiated to better understand the cities' respective housing markets and investigate if a Rural Housing Incentive District (RHID) would be an appropriate tool for the community.  A RHID is tool available to most Kansas communities through the Kansas Department of Commerce that helps finance the cost of public infrastructure. 

In order to qualify, a community must submit a housing analysis to the Department of Commerce. Wellington's and Haven's analyses included online community surveys, stakeholder interviews and in-depth analysis of community housing information. 

If your community has an interest in a housing analysis contact Matt Stiles at matthew.stiles@wichita.edu.
May is National Foster Care Month!  

May is National Foster Care Month! The focus of this month is "Foster Care as a Support to Families, Not a Substitute for Parents." In Kansas we have more than 7,000 children in foster care and 2,892 Licensed Foster Homes across 100 counties. 

Each community can make a difference for the children and families involved in the foster care system. A few ways communities can help are collecting school supplies for kids of every age, collecting suitcases for the children to transport belongings, and have a clothing closet with clothes for children of all ages. 

Another way to be a support is to understand what agencies in your community are involved in child welfare - including Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), Child Placing Agencies and Caregiver Support Agencies - and the work they do to support children and families.
 
One organization working to provide resources, advocacy and support is the Kansas Caregivers Support Network. The PPMC has a contract with the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) to develop the Kansas Caregivers Support Network (KCSN) to provide meaningful representation and a voice to caregivers. The mission of the KCSN is to bridge the gap between Kansas Caregivers and the Child Welfare System by creating access to resources to sustain a healthy placement.
 
About National Foster Care Month: https://www.childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth/
For more information about the KCSN: https://kansascaregiverssupportnetwork.com/
Wichita State University Public Policy & Management Center  |   wichita.edu/ppmc
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