| The Lynn Family Support Coalition is a grassroots organization created with the support of the Massachusetts Department of Social Services to plan and implement activities to strengthen families in the Highlands area of Lynn. The Highlands has some of the highest rates of poverty, child abuse, substance abuse, public dependence, illiteracy, teen pregnancy and dropout rates, and unemployment in a city victimized by economic hardship and human despair. Comprised of neighborhood residents, the Coalition has received DSS funding for food-distribution programs; neighborhood festivals; family outings; GED, ESL and citizenship classes; and summer recreational programs; as well as educational programs for children and their families carried out in collaboration with Salem State College. Representatives of the Coalition attend regional and statewide meetings on social service policies and programs with a special focus on family preservation. The "heart" of the Highlands neighborhood is the Ford School; although two smaller elementary schools and a middle school serve Highlands children, most Coalition activities are centered at Ford and are open to all Highlands families. Beginning with fiscal 2000, DSS will fund a professional coordinator to serve the Coalition and will no longer provide funds for programs.
Lynn health, business, and community organizations have displayed a willingness to work in the Ford setting to provide comprehensive educational services to children and parents. For example, the Lynn Business Education Foundation assists in helping the adult education component of the project to focus on education and training to prepare for jobs and careers in the community. Lynn Community Health Center provides the school with a nurse and family health educator one evening per week and will participate in health education programs. The Lynn Community Minority Cultural Center has provided computer education at its laboratory facility and after-school programs for Ford children. The University of Massachusetts Nutrition Extension Program co-hosts a Health Kids 2000 Night for the Ford School community, in addition to providing a nutrition education component to the FASST After-School Clubs.
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