Family Crisis Centers asks Osceola County for modest funding increase, details local services

Daniel Denfort, director of operations for Family Crisis Centers, and bilingual advocate Sipa addressed the Osceola County Board on Nov. 12 to thank the county for past support and to request a small increase in partnership funding for fiscal year 2026.

Denfort said the request is for an increase of about $250 — arriving at roughly $3,750 in county partnership support for FY26 — and provided a breakdown of local service usage: 10 Osceola residents served in the domestic-violence program last fiscal year, three in homicide/violent-crime services, seven through medical clinic outreach, six in a housing program, and 12 county-originating calls to the statewide call center. He described a recently completed renovation of a supervised visitation/exchange center with enhanced security and protocols that the organization provides free of charge.

Bilingual advocate Sipa described her role assisting Spanish-speaking clients with court navigation, transportation to safe locations, housing assistance and protection orders. Denfort emphasized the confidentiality standards the organization follows and offered to provide more detailed reporting for the board if desired.

Board members asked whether the figures were unduplicated and where past county contributions fell; the presenters said the counts are unduplicated and that Osceola’s confirmed contribution for recent years totaled about $3,500 with this request representing a small increase. The board did not take an immediate vote on the funding request during the meeting; staff will consider the request as part of budget or partnership discussions.

Next step: county staff to review the request and, if appropriate, include it in future budget or partnership agendas.