Families with young children in Klamath County will have greater access to home visiting and family support through new funding from the Oregon Health Authority’s Rural Health Transformation Program. Lutheran Community Services Northwest received the grant to strengthen services in both Klamath and Yamhill counties, investing in rural Oregon communities where distance, workforce shortages and limited service options can make support harder for families to reach.
In Klamath County, the funding will help A Family Gathering Place Relief Nursery expand its capacity to serve parents and young children. The program combines therapeutic early childhood classrooms with home-based outreach, parenting education and individualized family support. Families can also receive developmental guidance, connections to community resources, and access to additional LCSNW services, including mental health and substance use support.
The Klamath expansion mirrors the grant-supported expansion underway in Yamhill County, where LCSNW plans to add family support staff across two service areas to reduce wait times and reach more families. In Klamath County, added capacity will build on the Relief Nursery’s established approach: meeting families where they are, helping caregivers understand their children’s needs, and strengthening relationships that help children thrive.
Home visitors offer practical coaching, assess child development, coordinate referrals, and help families navigate health, behavioral health and social-service systems.
For Klamath County, that expansion is especially meaningful. Rural families often travel farther for care and may face fewer early-childhood resources in Southern Oregon. By increasing local staffing and coordinating with healthcare providers, schools, early-learning partners and community organizations, LCSNW can make support more timely, connected and responsive to each family’s circumstances.
The goal is not only to respond to immediate needs, but also to help families build stability. With stronger home visiting and family support available close to home, more Klamath County children can enter school ready to learn, while parents gain tools, relationships and resources that support family well-being for years to come.
