[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6637608,"mediaKeyId","2580354-f6da049bf2ed9dac4547f6b5f84c7258","parentId",2580354,"title","Joy Meadows tells committee it was denied state sales tax exemption after 2018 and 2024 applications","audioSeconds",1517,"startMs",2022000,"endMs",505000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2580354-f6da049bf2ed9dac4547f6b5f84c7258&start=2022&end=505","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2580354-f6da049bf2ed9dac4547f6b5f84c7258/thumbnail_2022000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6637608/Kansas/Joy-Meadows-tells-committee-it-was-denied-state-sales-tax-exemption-after-2018-and-2024-applications","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6637608-81c322779beb30e0e968c954c6312d62/orig.mp4?Expires=1775197775&Signature=LtyAYx-pGsErVtVcfdDL-oP8DDJSFDEsTjT7Hh99q4GKEcmbub76mDMcA9J56Gya4KkPg4iEPuie7DQkakvW8In7RVKDQi7ZCsyADMgBZQR1kSrcBh0hQCuifgApLTbfL6PaVqtUjrzc7neVeeMiRBtwp0A2-GLvljxG7v17VyFx-kQFdqH0D3oX32RaQ3t8XuLEvmuiuM~BdA98uxrsmFB6B6YygVuszHul8zA5pBWNrMmvR8gpn7DgxluGWNLJedJ4wKtVU3Nh5-wEECWZvCLv-9OFJQLn4QjIOaVwVD-X5f7xc5zCMC-NxmT11WIgKJ~Z27BGDllC42YqmCpadA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kansas Legislature","date","2025-03-12T19:56:30.177Z","article","Joy Meadows, a nonprofit operator of residential and community support campuses for foster families and children, told the Child Welfare and Foster Care Committee that the group applied for a state sales tax exemption in 2018 and again in 2024 and was denied both times.

\"We're coming before you because we were denied starting in 2018 on a tax exemption,\" Justin Oberndorfer, identified in the meeting as CEO of Joy Meadows, said. \"We applied again many years later in 2024, and it was denied again.\"

Joy Meadows described a mix of services run from its Linwood campus, including therapy and equine therapy, monthly family support events and church-based training to help retain foster families. Oberndorfer told the committee the organization operates a primary campus on about 68 acres, has a secondary campus planned in Wyandotte County of roughly 100 acres, recorded more than 7,000 interactions with children and families last year and logged nearly 8,000 volunteer hours at the Linwood property.

The organization said it partners with churches and local agencies to prevent isolation among foster families and increase retention. \"The families that are supported by our care communities, our church network, they continue to foster after 3 years. 93 percent after 3 years are still retained as foster families,\" Oberndorfer said.

Committee members asked for clarification about the tax issue. \"So what sort of tax is that?\" Representative Humphreys asked; Oberndorfer answered that the application was for a state sales tax exemption.

Oberndorfer compared Joy Meadows' activities to categories listed in the state's exemption statute, pointing to community-service, volunteer and child-focused organizations that receive similar treatment. He said Joy Meadows is not a school or church but provides services that support the foster-care system statewide and asked legislators and advocates to consider whether the organization's activities should qualify for the exemption.

The presentation did not result in a committee decision; Oberndorfer asked for advocacy and further review of the exemption criteria.

Committee members thanked the presenters and noted the organization’s geographic reach and reported outcomes; no formal motion or vote on the tax-exemption request was recorded during the session.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care 03/12/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Joy Meadows, a nonprofit that operates foster-care campuses, told the Child Welfare and Foster Care Committee it applied for a state sales tax exemption in 2018 and again in 2024 and was denied both times.","taxTitle","Senate, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",15103,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6637604,"Emporia nonprofit Radical Life outlines community approach to keep families out of foster care",635,649000,1284000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2580354-f6da049bf2ed9dac4547f6b5f84c7258&start=649&end=1284","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2580354-f6da049bf2ed9dac4547f6b5f84c7258/thumbnail_649000.jpg","/articles/6637604/Kansas/Emporia-nonprofit-Radical-Life-outlines-community-approach-to-keep-families-out-of-foster-care","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6637604-cb31f66db277ee9a3b0da47a5be484a1/orig.mp4?Expires=1775197775&Signature=OVybWmTG2WZaOUyRK21bDhK8fPXnhkCzpJXwiQOsDOYnYz6L9qbYXVYH3tDl21ZGPIMsVxMotCb1vHDWLEQtVA00cFZ4Y~xYcAR7w3VeJjtSTWYjpNTZXBe0ieIV8g1YghnsEA4yQqtpznq099p~cJofZrz8TyFQwOycA78X1WnR7REXzJzBdh1pwe5l6mgn7MHF7QQ27z3kFcEknHboXLqTV5NfWnkwc6WWNhJqjFnAN-nIOM8r6R~9jCTwM-P9Did1W41u3Bij5d8fUsxs~6s-XbmtkNgjtBT-4~AvYmCwvPPSpFnVb41t5rMilb1lmVFrooL0h3NHv-o-cacf6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lindsay Smith, executive director of Radical Life in Emporia, told the Child Welfare and Foster Care Committee her nonprofit works with families who have children in or at risk of entering the foster-care system, using weekly community dinners, coaching and partnerships with local agencies to reduce isolation and improve stability.

\"Our mission is to work with families. It is to, first and foremost, resolve poverty,\" Smith said, describing a curriculum-based, holistic approach that addresses mental and physical health, finances, social capital and other domains.

Smith said Radical Life operates as a small team that serves cohorts of about 15 families at a time. She described a Monday-night model where families eat together, children receive childcare, adults take classes and participants receive individualized coaching. The program also hosts therapists on-site and arranges meetings such as IEPs in its rented church space to reduce barriers for families.

Smith offered outcome figures and clarified several numbers during her testimony. She said Radical Life has helped pay off over $70,000 in debt for families who completed the program and reported an increase of roughly $18,000 in combined income across participants during a recent six-month period. Smith also said 73 percent of participants on parole or probation graduated the program early by as much as a year, and that five adults were pursuing or had completed GEDs and one had completed college.

The organization is the first implementing partner for Care Portal in Kansas, Smith said. Care Portal allows agencies such as DCF, school districts and mental-health centers to post needs that churches and other local groups can fulfill; Smith said Radical Life has used that system to channel church resources and relieve more than $70,000 in economic impact for local families.

Lyon County Sheriff Jeff Cope described attending Radical Life community dinners and said they help leaders better understand the community. \"We go we meet with the, leaders. That's what they call the people in the class...We break bread together. We eat together. And then, we go around and they talk about how their perceptions of the community are,\" Cope said.

Committee members asked about program scale and eligibility. Smith said Radical Life typically works with 15 families per cohort, recommends participants be clean and sober for six months in many cases, and requires participating families to have children because of grant and program constraints.

The presentation did not produce a committee vote; committee members thanked Radical Life for the community-based approach and invited further engagement with legislators.

","Radical Life, a small Emporia nonprofit, told the Child Welfare and Foster Care Committee it uses weekly community meals, coaching and local partnerships to help families at risk of child removal and to support reunification efforts.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6637599,"Safe Families Kansas describes volunteer-host model, reports 60 host families and 85% retention; says funding includes state SGF support",1330,2058000,3388000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2580354-f6da049bf2ed9dac4547f6b5f84c7258&start=2058&end=3388","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2580354-f6da049bf2ed9dac4547f6b5f84c7258/thumbnail_2058000.jpg","/articles/6637599/Kansas/Safe-Families-Kansas-describes-volunteer-host-model-reports-60-host-families-and-85-retention-says-funding-includes-state-SGF-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6637599-b0f31b8cae6d5bd7ae88537544746039/orig.mp4?Expires=1775197775&Signature=e~j8YClnKAOJEr0M2XKlnQoXsWvbYHiqz~tFJbFZSyt-EnOaYfveuRi70Oht4vzgtai1nqcSOHllU4SAvaQkCIEsIb9BbnVdgDU8LJF970oP2D8BEVscacw4q8y66M6rhL6xzxD83Nzbpggy79XLyBI5pqngw4fOsSeUmG8y5tBp5pOoHNpr40PLjUIQgEJXVDN6mLYnx3pw21tFqS3iXRVFF5Z-uvsk5aIIs9TqYVpFdvNCHDgD026u~CiGw3195pFWYeb8lwz~H9KDEvUTQINPBIN-84UCm9YqfAZc5QUkMLTgLaYc5HAEvNO91OeKP48oj6sbi4f4zK~Z-Ajfbw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A representative of Safe Families Kansas described the nonprofit’s volunteer-host model to the Child Welfare and Foster Care Committee, highlighted several individual cases and provided operating and scale figures, including about 60 host families in Kansas and an 85 percent retention rate among hosts.

\"Our mission is to host and create extended like family supports for vulnerable families through a community of devoted volunteers who are motivated to keep children safe and families intact,\" the presenter, identified in the meeting as Tammy of Safe Families Kansas, told the committee.

Tammy said Safe Families recruits volunteers through local churches and assigns three roles — host families, family friends and resource friends — to provide short-term care, material support and sustained relational engagement. She emphasized that the program seeks to engage families before DCF becomes involved, offering examples that included:

- Hosting a drug-exposed newborn for several months while the mother engaged in services; the volunteer who initially hosted the baby later became a staff member and continued to support the mother.
- Hosting three children for 22 nights while a single mother focused on securing housing, mental-health services and state identification.
- Coordinating care when a mother was incarcerated and enabling volunteers to bring expressed breast milk to a child so the infant could receive maternal milk until reunification; that episode involved 52 nights of arrangement.

Tammy said Safe Families runs background checks, conducts home walk-throughs and provides weekly staff check-ins for new host families. In the meeting she reported roughly 60 host families in Kansas and an 85 percent retention rate; she said the organization’s operating funds include state general funds and occasional private support. \"Our funding stream is through the legislature, SGF funds,\" she said when asked.

Committee members asked about host-family numbers, retention and what happens when reunification is not possible. Tammy said when a parent does not progress toward reunification, custody returns to DCF and the child may enter foster care; Safe Families is positioned primarily as a prevention and supportive mechanism.

Safe Families described geographic expansion plans, naming regions served in Kansas City, Southeast Kansas and Wichita and an upcoming Central North region expected to start April 1. The presentation did not result in committee action.

","Safe Families Kansas presented examples of volunteers hosting children temporarily to help families in crisis, described regional expansion and said it has about 60 host families in the state with roughly an 85% retention rate. The presenter described partnerships with DCF and hospitals and said the organization","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Joy Meadows tells committee it was denied state sales tax exemption after 2018 and 2024 applications

Emporia nonprofit Radical Life outlines community approach to keep families out of foster care

Safe Families Kansas describes volunteer-host model, reports 60 host families and 85% retention; says funding includes state SGF support