Lutheran Social Services
About Lutheran Social Services
From childcare services and older adult resources to behavioral and financial health, our vision is that every South Dakotan will be healthy, safe, and accepted with LSS. We are here to help you with your immediate challenges and support your long-term ambitions. Our professional staff helps individuals and families of all kinds to take the steps to achieve their goals, stability, and vitality, by helping to create a detailed plan or just having someone to talk to.
Better Together Program
Better Together is an LSS program that matches isolated, lonely older adults with volunteers. Our goal is reducing older adults’ loneliness and isolation and helping them remain connected with their community. Unlike other types of volunteer programs that might focus on providing transportation, chores, or errand-running, Better Together’s focus is on building fulfilling one-to-one relationships. In addition to individual adult volunteers of all ages, we have couples and families who volunteer together to spend time with an older adult.
Based on common interests, each Better Together volunteer is carefully matched with an older adult, whom we call a “Neighbor.” The volunteer spends a minimum of four face-to-face hours a month with their Neighbor in conversation, activities and community outings. Better Together matches participate in community activities such as shopping, concerts and athletic events.
Center for Financial Resources Program
Family Wellness Program partners with families in Early Childhood Education Programs, Brookings County School Districts, Brookings Health System, and residents of the City of Brookings to support trauma-informed and client directed behavioral health programming in office and outreach environments. The Family Wellness Program allows ABH to work with care teams to effectively collaborate to support youth, families, and city residents with holistic, wrap-around services. The goal is to promote academic, emotional, social and behavioral support and success along with positive attachments and skills within the family system and community.
